Dr. Mutel:
I have always been fascinated with instrumentation, ever since my earliest (12 yr
old) ham radio days. One of the first projects I tackled at Iowa was the conversion
of a 60-ft satellite tracking dish to a radio telescope to be used primarily for
very long baseline interferometry.
Controlling a telescope, whether it be radio or optical, involves very similar problems
and algorithms, so my radio telescope experience segued smoothly into design and
construction of robotic optical telescopes. I was also fortunate to have a team
consisting of a few extremely talented and enthusiastic undergraduates and a world-class
astronomical software engineer (Elwood Downey) in the 1990's. Together, we designed
and built the first Iowa robotic telescope, a 20-inch OTA with Naismith optics on
a Azimuth-elevation mount. We operated the IRO, located at Winer Observatory in
southern Arizona, from 1996- 2002. In May 2002 this telescopes was replaced by the
37 cm Rigel telescope, built by Torus (later OMI) here in Iowa City. Over 700 undergraduate
and graduate students use our robotic telescope every year. In addition, it has
resulted in provided primary observational data for two M.S. theses and several
research publications concerning a search for small comets in the near-Earth environment.
SSO:
With all the space-based telescopes, large ground-based telescopes, and the huge
amount of data they generate, why not just have students use available data for
astronomy labs instead of getting "live" data from a remote telescope?
Dr. Mutel:
There are several compelling reasons. Most important, students who plan and analyze
their own images feel a sense of accomplishment and 'ownership' of their data. This
gives a real sense of the scientific method - the mysteries of nature are not handed
down from an omniscient scientific sage (whether it be the textbook author or HST
astronomer), but are available by directly observing the natural world for oneself.
Second, students learn that observational or experimental science can be messy,
with 'warts' (e.g., imperfect CCD calibration, moonlight glare, poor seeing) and
inconveniences (equipment failure, bad weather) are part of the scientific enterprise,
but that persistence and even a little luck often plays a significant role. Finally,
a significant number of students become involved in designing and building the instruments
and writing control and analysis software for these telescopes. This is invaluable,
and provides a real-world application for the theories taught in the classroom.
SSO:
Online courses and degree programs are proliferating at colleges and universities
offering accessible and affordable educational opportunities to people around the
world. What effect will this have on astronomy education and research in the near
future? How will the University of Iowa take advantage of this powerful technology?
Dr. Mutel:
I have very mixed feeling about online education, although I recognize its merits,
especially for students in remote settings far from any campus. In my 30 years of
teaching, my most enjoyable (and I think effective) experiences are always one-on-one
or in small groups. The free
give and take of students and teachers exchanging ideas
and insights in the same room, are the most enriching and productive way to ensure
learning (for both student and teacher!). I am more comfortable using online education
in fact-based settings, such as many survey courses. The University of Iowa already
offers a number of such online courses, including an introductory astronomy course.
I see online student use of robotic telescopes as a first step in a process which
would allow large numbers of students (and the public) access to a research-class
observatory instrument. Although this is a very powerful new use of technology with
unlimited potential, I am afraid that most casual users will be happy to observe
some well-known objects and obtain a few 'pretty pictures'. However, a (probably
small) fraction of these students will have their curiosity whetted by their first
images, and will decide to pursue astronomy in a more formal way. I look forward
to seeing those students in my classroom.
SSO:
Dr. Mutel thank you for your time and for voluteering to be on the SSO Grant Review
Board. We look forward to talking with you more in the near future.
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