The Tutorials are Set

The tutorials I will be taking with academics in the Oxford area are now locked in and I am quite excited at the prospect of embarking on these adventures in learning.  I get to take two tutorials each semester in addition to the work I will be doing for the capstone Integrated Studies courses and the work I'll need to complete on my thesis.  These tutorials will be weekly sessions, ten of them in all. 

The first one is a tutorial I will be sharing with my good friend Juan.  The topic is Formal and Propositional Logic.  This is essentially a math course, though without numbers.  We will be learning the axiomatic system of propositional logic and how to leverage it as a tool to understand systems of thought.  From my study of the topic back at NAU in 2001 I know that it is quite abstract and challenging, but that the skills acquired are absolutely essential.  I am very keen to re-engage the subject.  My tutor is named Joshua Rosaler and he is a recent recipient of a masters in the Philosophy of Physics.  He teaches at Pembroke college in Oxford proper so I am hopeful that with a letter of recommendation from him I may be able to row for one of Pembroke's teams. 

The second tutorial has turned out to be really special.  It will be team taught by two astronomers who work at Hanwell Observatory and Oxford University.  Their names are Leo Huckvale and Christopher Taylor.  Though I dont know much about Mr. Taylor yet, Mr. Huckvale just finished his Masters in Astrophysics so I am excited to pick his brain on that experience.  The course will take place at the observatory in Banbury, which is an open air public observatory just north of Oxford.  They have several telescopes of different types, including some that echo the workings of more dated designs from centuries past. 

Website:  http://www.hanwellobservatory.org.uk/

 This tutorial will cover the two aspects of astronomy that I am currently most interested in.  Leo will be teaching me the basics of telescope design and use.  We will do some stargazing and hopefully by the end of the term I will be able to help him with some of his own research into binary stars, globular clusters and other astonishingly cool things that lie outside our solar system and our galaxy. 

Since England is host to some tempestuously cloudy weather, I will communicate with Leo and Christopher on a daily basis to determine when best to head up to the observatory for some clear skies and great views.

With Christopher I will be engaging in a study of the history of astronomy, its techniques and tools and notable figures from throughout the ages.  In addition to this, Christopher has some amazing connections with the head curators of the Oxford Museum of Science and once we get into the semester we will be meeting with them to study their collection in parallel with the books we will be reading.  Totally amazing.