I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Honors Exploring the Edge of Space

2. Course Prefix & Number:
ESCI 1461

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 4

Lecture Hours: 3

Lab Hours: 2

4. Course Description:

In this course students will work as a team to plan and successfully conduct a near-space high-altitude balloon flight (HAB). Such flights involve learning Earth surface and atmospheric structure and dynamic processes, hypothesis writing, experimental design and construction, electronics testing and assembly, microcontroller programming, data collection and analysis, and scientific report writing. Successful execution of a near-space HAB flight requires extensive teamwork and collaboration. At least one all-day off campus field excursion is required for this course. Whenever possible students in this class will collaborate with students of other courses, colleges,and K-12 schools. Collaboration in this case may involve presenting technical and science topics to other CLC and to K-12 students, and helping others with experimental design and construction, and interpreting data. Students will read primary scientific literature, participate in team projects, and complete a capstone project. Activities may include (original) research, inquiry based investigation(s), collaboration, or other project types that the instructor deems worthy of the Honors’ designation. Courses in the Honors Program emphasize independent inquiry, informed discourse, and direct application within small, transformative, and seminar-style classes that embrace detailed examinations of the material and feature close working relationships with instructors. In addition, students learn to leverage course materials so that they can affect the world around them in positive ways.

5. Placement Tests Required:

Accuplacer (specify test):	Next Gen Reading	Score:	265
Other (specify test):	ACT	Score:	24

6. Prerequisite Courses:

There are no prerequisites for this course.

7. Other Prerequisites

OR permission from the instructor or Honors Coordinator, or high school GPA of 3.5 or greater.

9. Co-requisite Courses:

There are no corequisites for this course.

II. Transfer and Articulation

1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:

Science at the Edge of Space, Bemidji State University. In proposal.
Introduction to Research, Norfolk State University

2. Transfer - regional institutions with which this course has a written articulation agreement:

III. Course Purpose

1. Program-Applicable Courses – This course is required for the following program(s):

2. MN Transfer Curriculum (General Education) Courses - This course fulfills the following goal area(s) of the MN Transfer Curriculum:
Goal 3 – Natural Sciences

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies	Students will be able to:
Demonstrate written communication skills	Demonstrate skills in writing scientific reports and reflections on scientific literature.
Demonstrate reading and listening skills	Improve retention and understanding and demonstrate understanding of scientific theories.
Analyze and follow a sequence of operations	Demonstrate the ability to follow sequentially organized operations in all phases of the near-space flight project.
Work as a team member to achieve shared goals	Demonstrate a team-oriented approach to successful completion of a near-space flight project.

2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of the course:

• Demonstrate understanding of scientific theories (MnTC Goal 3);
• Present results and ideas with reasoned arguments supported by experimental evidence and utilizing appropriate and authentic written and verbal forms(MnTC Goal 3 and discipline-based guideline);
• Become proficient using common test equipment in a range of standard laboratory measurements while being cognizant of device limitations (discipline guideline);
• Develop abstract representations of real systems, study them in the laboratory, seek to understand their limitations and uncertainties, and use their models to make predictions (discipline-based guideline);
• Evaluate societal significance of experiments in atmospheric science (MnTC Goal 3);
• Analyze and display data using statistical methods and critically interpret the validity and limitations of these data and their uncertainties (MnTC Goal 3 and discipline-based guideline);
• Collect, analyze, and interpret real data from personal observations of "the physical" world to develop a physical and geoscientific worldview (MnTC Goal 3 and discipline-based guideline);
• Develop, engineer, and troubleshoot experiments constructed for testing models and hypotheses while working within specific constraints such as cost, time, safety, and available equipment (MnTC Goal 3 and discipline-based guideline);
• Formulate hypotheses(MnTC Goal 3);
• Compose a summary report of their independent research of scientific literature;
• Critically disuss scientific topics; and
• Independently conduct an original capstone project, that embodies the spirit and purpose of the honors designation.

V. Topical Outline

Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.

1. Lecture Sessions

1. Earth's atmosphere and Earth's surface.  
• The physical envirnoment
• The geological environment
• The chemical environment
• The biological environment
2. Fundamentals of near space exploration
• Early and modern near-space balloon flights
• FAA restrictions to sending payloads to 20 miles
• Physical constraints to sending payloads to 20 miles
3. The methods of science
• Achieving meaningful and authentic scientific inquiry.
• Exploring and preparation through research of existing literature.
• Effective use of library resources.
• Effective collaboration and teamwork.
• The scientist's essential habits of mind.
• Learning autonomously.
4. Near-space hardware and software
• Flight platform and the physics of gasses
• Instrument platform
• Programming
• Tracking systems
• Data collection, in-flight storage, and transfer
• Post flight retreival
• The importance of thorough testing and redundant systems.
5. Near-Space mission (also listed under Lab Outline)
• Goal setting
• Project management
• Teamwork
6. Data processing and analysis
• Handling of experimental data
• Large data sets
• Spreadsheet, statistics, and computation
• Scientific models and analyses
7. Scientific reporting
• Scientific report writing
• Sections in scientific reports
• Formatting texts adn visual elements
• References and citations
• Media for scientific communication
• Public speaking

2. Laboratory/Studio Sessions

1. Earth's atmosphere
2. Measurement and instruments
3. Error and uncertainty in measurements
4. Getting to know HAB hardware and sensors
5. Getting to know HAB software
6. Planning with limitations: budget and safety
7. Designing a science experiment
8. Prototyping and testing
9. Conducting a tethered low altitude balloon flight
10. The Day: Launch and Recovery
11. Data processing and analysis
12. Statistical analyses of data
13. Formatted research writing
14. Scientific presentation using various media