Department of Astronomy Special Colloquium. "A Career Integrating Research, Teaching and Learning: Open Star Clusters, Blue Stragglers, and Preparing the Future National STEM Faculty," Robert Mathieu, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Date: 

Friday, May 18, 2012, 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Phillips Auditorium

Department of Astronomy Special Colloquium. "A Career Integrating Research, Teaching and Learning: Open Star Clusters, Blue Stragglers, and Preparing the Future National STEM Faculty," Robert Mathieu, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Phillips Auditorium.

Abstract: The classical fields of stellar evolution and stellar dynamics each have relied heavily on the stars of open star clusters. Today, investigations at the interface of stellar evolution and stellar dynamics are expanding our understanding of both fields. Dynamical encounters of binary stars lead to stellar exchanges, binary orbit evolution, close stellar passages, mass transfer, mergers, and collisions, all of which contribute to new stellar evolution paths and products. Blue straggler stars are the longest known markers -- and puzzles - at this interface. The combination of extensive open cluster radial- velocity surveys and N-body simulations are revealing their origins and a rich array of evolutionary paths. Graduate students and post-doctoral scholars at research universities will shape the future of STEM undergraduate education in the United States. Each year more than 40,000 doctorates in STEM fields are awarded, and roughly 1 in every 3 STEM PhDs will become undergraduate faculty and instructors within six years of receiving their degree. Since almost 80% of doctoral students are trained at only 100 research universities, graduate education is a powerful leverage point for advancing undergraduate STEM learning at more than 4000 institutions of higher education. The NSF Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning, comprising 25 research universities, is using the lever of graduate education to prepare a future national STEM faculty committed to implementing and advancing effective teaching practices for diverse learners.