Department of Computer Science
The University of Texas at Austin
CS 309 - Geometry of Space - FRI (Spring 2022)
Section: 51015, TTH 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM, RLP 1.104
Instructor: Dr. Shyamal Mitra
Office Hours: TBA
Location: GDC 6.320
E-mail: mitra@cs.utexas.edu
Do not send mail on Canvas.
Scope of the Course
This is a two semester research sequence. In the first semester (spring
2022) we will cover the foundational knowledge that you will need in
astronomy, programming, and data science. You will have readings to do
over the summer. In the second semester (fall 2022) you will formulate
a research problem, do a review of the work that has already been done,
design a research plan and then execute that plan. The end goal will be
a paper that you will present in class.
Research Goal
In this research stream, we will begin to understand the large-scale
structure of the universe through a study of the distribution of galaxies
and clusters of galaxies using algorithms developed in computational
geometry and applying techniques in data analytics. The galaxy data will
be obtained from the Hobby Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment
(HETDEX), the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), and the NASA Extragalactic
Database (NED).
We will use computational geometry to obtain the size and center of clusters
of galaxies and data analytics to determine member galaxies and outliers.
We will compute the velocity dispersion of the clusters and their
mass-to-light ratio. Specifically, one of the questions that we will try
to answer is - are there interconnections between clusters and are the
clusters themselves clustered to form superclusters? We will provide
3-dimensional maps of the distribution of galaxies.
Hybrid Lectures
Our lectures will be either in-person or delivered online on Zoom in
Canvas. You will be given advanced notifications on what mode the
lectures will be delivered. Attendance to the in-person lectures is
mandatory. The online lectures will be recorded. The class recordings
are confidential to the class and are only for educational purposes.
The recordings must not be shared in any form. Any dissemination of
the recordings is a violation of the University policies and will be
subject to Student Misconduct proceedings through the Office of Student
Conduct and Academic Integrity. Our office hours will not be
recorded.
Research Journal
You will be maintaining a research journal where you record the work
that you did that week. You will note what you accomplished that week,
the problems that you encountered, the work that you plan to do the
following week, and any other issues that you would like to discuss.
All journal entries will be due on Sundays on Canvas.
Papers
There will be reading assignments that will be followed by papers that
you will have to write. The guidelines for the papers will be given to
you as well as their deadlines.
Online Courses
Our research stream straddles many disciplines. We do not have a single
textbook for our stream. We will use online courses in Coursera and
Udacity to fill the gaps in our knowledge. You will be given the units
to complete and deadlines. There will be a late penalty for missed
deadlines.
Assignments
There will be programming assignments in Python and in data science
using Jupyter notebooks. You will also have assignments in astronomy
using the sources of data as mentioned above as well as other sources
of online data. These assignments will have deadlines with late penalty
for missed deadlines.
Grades
Your performance in this class will be evaluated using your scores for
the journal entries that you record, the papers that you write, the
online courses that you complete, and the assignments that you work on.
The weights of each of these components are listed below. There are
no extra credit projects or assignments to improve your grade. We
do not drop any of the scores to compute the weighted average.
- Journal Entry: 10%
- Papers: 20%
- Online Courses: 30%
- Assignments: 40%
All scores will be entered on Canvas. Check your scores regularly on
Canvas to make sure that we have entered them correctly. Remember the
average score as shown on Canvas is not correct. It does not
weight the average with weights as shown above. Your final grade will
be assigned after we obtain the weighted average according to the weights
as given above. Your grade will be based on the traditional scheme:
- A: 90 - 100
- B: 80 - 89
- C: 70 - 79
- D: 60 - 69
- F: 0 - 59
We do assign grades on the +/- system. But those finer cutoffs will be
determined at the very end after the weighted average and standard
deviation of the class are computed.
Study Groups
Do find a compatible person to work with in class. You will be working
with a partner or in a group of at most three people. This does not
preclude you from working with others in the class.
We will be using
Piazza for general discussion of class related questions rather than
the discussion board on Canvas. Piazza will be monitored by our peer
mentors. For informal discussions, like finding partners for projects,
you will be using Discord
for your posts. We expect your posts to be professional
and courteous to every member in the class.
Your Responsibilities in This Class
- Your performance in this class will be determined by you! It will
require a strong dedication to learning the material and will require
a substantial time commitment to complete all the readings and
assignments.
- You are expected to show up on time for all class meetigns and
stay for the whole class period.
- You are required to have your cell phones off at all times during
the class. You may not make or receive calls on your cell phone or
send or receive text messages during class.
- You are responsible for all material posted to the web site and
sent as email. Ignorance of such material is no excuse.
- You are responsible for all material presented in the class, and
your reading of online resources.
- We expect scrupulous honesty in all the work that you do.
- Your conduct in class should be conducive towards a positive learning
environment for your class mates as well as your self.
University Time Table
- 18 Jan 2022: Classes begin
- 21 Jan 2022: Last day of official add / drop
- 02 Feb 2022: 12th class day, official enrollment count is
taken
- 14 Mar - 19 Mar: Spring Break
- 04 Apr 2022: Last day to drop (with dean's approval) except for urgent
and substantiated, non-academic reasons or to change to or from
pass/fail basis.
- 06 May 2022: Classes end
General Policies
If you are absent from class for the observance of a religious holy day
you may turn in your assignment or paper on an alternate date provided
you have given me written notice fourteen days prior to the class absence.
For religious holy days that fall within the first two weeks of class
notice must be given on the first class day.
Students with disabilities who need special accommodations should contact
the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) Office (471-6259 or
471-4641 TTY).