PDP Teams

PDP 2016

Total Impact

2016-01

Using lightcurves to describe transiting exoplanetary systems, and engaging in scientific argumentation from evidence.

Team Lead: Briana Ingermann - University of Colorado, Boulder

Disciplinary area: Astronomy

Teaching venue: Boulder - MASP

Sponsor: NSF/AST, ISEE (UCSC)

2016-02

Applying the wave model of light’s Doppler shift to explain astrophysical phenomena, and engaging in scientific argumentation from evidence.

Team Lead: Andrew Sturner

Disciplinary area: Astronomy and physics

Teaching venue: Boulder - CU STARS

Sponsor: NSF/AST, ISEE (UCSC)

2016-03

How biases and observational methods affect astronomical interpretations of flux-limited samples, and designing and carrying out investigations

Team Lead: Caitlin Casey, University of Texas Austin

Disciplinary area: Astronomy and statistics

Teaching venue: UT-Austin PREP 

Sponsor:  NSF/AST, ISEE (UCSC)

2016-04

Using refraction of light in the human to explain nearsightedness and farsightedness, and constructing explanations based on models

Team Lead: Jakaria Mostafa, University of Houston

Disciplinary area: Optics

Teaching venue:  Houston TEXOCOP

Sponsor:  NSF/AST, ISEE (UCSC)

2016-05

Identifying and reducing random and systematic measurement uncertainties, and engaging in scientific argumentation from evidence

Team Lead: David Perez Loureiro, Michigan State University

Disciplinary area: Physics and statistics

Teaching venue: MSU physics lab

Sponsor: NSF/AST, ISEE (UCSC)

2016-07

Measuring statistical significance of a claim using confidence intervals, and engaging in scientific argumentation from graphical evidence

Team Lead: Andrea Derdzinski, Columbia University

Disciplinary area: Statistics

Teaching venue: NYC Bridge

Sponsor:  NSF/AST, ISEE (UCSC)

2016-08

Characterizing astronomical objects using Doppler redshift, and engaging in scientific argumentation from graphical evidence

Team Lead: Rachael Beaton, Carnegie Observatories

Disciplinary area: Astrophysics

Teaching venue: Carnegie PREP

Sponsor:  NSF/AST, ISEE (UCSC), CARNEGIE

2016-09

Evaluating significance of a light curve signal using the signal to noise ratio, and engaging in scientific argumentation from evidence

Team Lead: Nicolas Crouzet, Dunlap Institute, University of Toronto

Disciplinary area: Astronomy and Statistics

Teaching venue: Toronto - SURP

Sponsor: DUNLAP-TORONTO ISEE CHAPTER, CITA

2016-10

Using the relationship between plate scale, field-of-view, and focal length to design an imaging system, and designing solutions within requirements

Team Lead: Etsuko Mieda, Dunlap Institute, University of Toronto

Disciplinary area: Optics

Teaching venue: Toronto - Instrumentation Summer School

Sponsor:  NSF/AST, ISEE (UCSC), DUNLAP-TORONTO ISEE CHAPTER

2016-11

Inferring the properties of a stellar population from the colors of an astronomical light source, and engaging in scientific argumentation from evidence

Team Lead: Brett Salmon, Texas A&M University

Disciplinary area: Astronomy

Teaching venue: Texas A&M PREP

Sponsor: NSF/AST, ISEE (UCSC), MITCHELL INSTITUTE

2016-13

Understanding the relationship between star brightness and magnitude, and engaging in scientific argumentation from evidence

Team Lead: Heather Flewelling, University of Hawaii

Disciplinary area: Astronomy

Teaching venue:  UH Manoa - astro lab

Sponsor:  NSF/AST, IfA 

2016-14

Using Fourier Transforms and the frequency domain to make claims about an astronomical light curve, and building algorithms

Team Lead: Sam Grunblatt, University of Hawaii

Disciplinary area: Astronomy and Mathematics

Teaching venue: UH Manoa - astro lab

Sponsor:  IfA, ISEE (UCSC), NSF/AST

2016-15

Designing optical detectors using principles of adequate sampling, and defining requirements

Team Lead: Austin Barnes

Disciplinary area: Digital Signal Processing

Teaching venue: Akamai PREP - Analog-to-Digital

 Sponsor: NSF/AST, TMT, ISEE (UCSC), AFOSR, UC OBSERVATORIES, NSO

2016-16

Creating an energy management plan using renewable resources, and deigning solutions within requirements

Team Lead: Anna Lowe, UC Santa Cruz

Disciplinary area: Renewable Energy

Teaching venue: Akamai PREP - renewable energy

 Sponsor: AFOSR, ISEE (UCSC), TMT

2016-17

Conservation of momentum and energy, and designing experiments

Team Lead: Trevor Keiber, UC Santa Cruz

Disciplinary area: Physics

Teaching venue: UCSC Demonstration Lab - physics

Sponsor:  ISEE (UCSC), HHMI

2016-18

Using mechanisms of natural selection to explain population evolution, and designing experiments

Team Lead: Carla Sette, UC Santa Cruz

Disciplinary area: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Teaching venue:  UCSC Demonstration Lab - Bio

Sponsor:  ISEE (UCSC), HHMI

2016-19

Understanding biochemical function as a result of intermolecular chemical forces and dynamic interactions, and using evidence to build an explanatory model

Team Lead: Matthew Naylor, UC Santa Cruz

Disciplinary area: Biochemistry

Teaching venue: UCSC WEST - Chemistry, protein structure

Sponsor:  ISEE (UCSC), HHMI

2016-20

Improving predictive capabilities of a model using cross-validation, and developing and using models

Team Lead: Grace Lin, UC Santa Cruz

Disciplinary area: Computer Science

Teaching venue:  UCSC WEST - Comp Sci

Sponsor:  ISEE (UCSC)

2016-21

Generating and choosing the simplest phylogenetic trees, and developing and using models

Team Leads: Vikram Baliga & Diana Ruiz, UC Santa Cruz

Disciplinary area: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Teaching venue: UCSC Evolution Lab

Sponsor:  ISEE (UCSC), HHMI, Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) 

Statistical significance using p-values

Activity Designer: Jann Paul Mattern, UC Santa Cruz

Disciplinary area: Statistics

Teaching venue: Full graduate level course with 2 classes per week. The course "Python programming for Ocean Scientists". Winter Quarter 2016.

Sponsor:  ISEE (UCSC)

Using IR and NMR spectroscopic techniques to differentiate isomers

Activity Designer: Galen Gorscki, UC Santa Cruz

Disciplinary area: Chemistry

Teaching venue: Chem 1B Lab

Inferring microevolutionary mrocesses from evolution scenarios

Activity Designer: Susanna Honig, UC Santa Cruz

Disciplinary area: Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Teaching venue: Bio E 20C

Understanding exponential growth using bacterial population

Activity Designer: Daniela Keilberg, UC Santa Cruz

Disciplinary area: Biology

Teaching venue: METX119 Microbiology

Using multiple lines of evidence to construct phylogenetic trees.

Activity Designer: Aimee Marceau & Eshwar Ramanan, UC Santa Cruz

Disciplinary area: Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Teaching venue: Bio 20C - UCSC

75 

undergraduates

How policy measures and social inequality shape ecological landscapes, and arguing from evidence.

Activity Designer: Emily Reisman, UC Santa Cruz

Disciplinary area: Environmental Studies

Teaching venue: summer field ecology course, Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program

20 

undergraduates

Linear Regression: Interpretation and Sampling Methods

Activity Designer: Jody Ryker, UC Santa Cruz

Disciplinary area: Mathematics

Teaching venue:  Cabrillo Community College. Class: Survey of Math (Math 10)

20 

undergraduates

Understanding the function of proteins with yeast two-hybrid system.

Activity Designer: Tonio Shuetze, UC Santa Cruz

Disciplinary area: Biology

Teaching venue: Biology 101: Activity 6: Yeast-2-Hybrid

250 

undergraduates

Explaining simple harmonic motion using the restoring force.

Activity Designer: Mike Testa, UC Santa Cruz

Disciplinary area: Physics

Teaching venue: Physics 7A

Sponsor: ISEE (UCSC), HHMI

30 

undergraduates