Crider, Weston publish article on “Life in the Universe” course

Tony Crider, associate professor of physics, and Anthony Weston, professor of philosophy, have published an article describing several experiential activities from their co-taught, interdisciplinary "Life in the Universe" class.

This course was first offered in spring 2012 as part of the Honors Program and focused on the science and philosophy of the Drake equation, the Fermi paradox and the modern Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) by astronomers.

The article, “Experiential Education on the Edge: SETI Activities for the College Classroom,” was published in the Astronomy Education Review by the American Astronomical Society. It describes both the creation of several exercises, the student responses, a rubric developed for assessment of such experiential activities, and a full accounting of “the most awesome final exam in the history of final exams.”