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Description: 
The Astronomy Modeling with Exoplanets course will give teacher participants a 45-hour distance learning experience that will ground them in the use of the Modeling Method of Instruction. This course utilizes  curriculum resources that focus on the modern-day scientific pursuit of discovering and exploring planets around other star systems: exoplanets. 

First participants will develop models of space and time that enable them to locate objects and map space from the perspective of Earth. Next, they will examine motion and forces in order to develop a generalizable model of orbital motion. Then, they will construct both particle and wave models of light as a mode of energy transfer (and information transfer) via radiation. Finally, participants will develop a model of cosmic evolution, to better understand the history and fate of our universe. In this final unit of study, we will consider the probability of life elsewhere in the universe, on exoplanets, by deriving the famous SETI Drake Equation.

Participants will develop skills and knowledge in observational astronomy, image acquisition, stellar photometry, data and image analysis, and how telescopes work. In the process they will uncover  a number of basic physics  concepts: forces, measurement, motion, gravity, light, electricity & magnetism. They will access remote telescopes and collaborate with professional exoplanet astronomers in their own exoplanet observations. Some teachers may even be able to get access to physical telescopes for classroom use in exoplanet observing. 

In this 2026 offering, participants will also get access to Slooh remote robotic telescopes as part of their course registration fee.

Be sure to view this video " Astronomy Modeling Instruction with Exoplanets & the Unistellar Telescope Network - AGU 2023" by Dan Peluso
Click Here for video
 

Dates: January 22 - May 7, 2026 
            Note no class on Thurs., April 2 for spring break. 

Meeting days: Thursday

Meeting times: 7-10 pm EST, 6-9 pm CST, 5-8 pm MST, 4-7 pm PST

Leaders: Daniel Peluso  and Paul Sasso

Costs: $1000 

Optional graduate-level credits: Up to 3 credits available at $79/credit hour through the University of Pacific.    EDUP 9354

Location: Zoom.  A confirmation email with Zoom link will be sent upon registration. 

Meet the leaders:




Dr. Daniel O’Conner Peluso is an astrophysicist, educator, and interdisciplinary artist based in the Bay Area, California. He earned his Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Southern Queensland in 2024, where his dissertation Democratizing & Enhancing Exoplanet Research with the Unistellar Citizen Science Network & Astronomy Modeling Instruction bridged astrophysics, citizen science, and education research. Dan co-developed the Astronomy Modeling with Exoplanets (AME) course with AMTA and continues to lead and study its effectiveness in classrooms nationwide. His first-author publications include The Unistellar Exoplanet Campaign (PASP, 2023) and Confirming the Dense Sub-Saturn TIC 139270665 b (AJ, 2024), with a forthcoming AME study currently in peer review with the Journal of Science Teacher Education (JSTE). Dan teaches astrophysics and songwriting at Griffin Technology Academies, co-leads citizen-science education workshops with the NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory, AMTA, and SETI Institute, and collaborates with the SkyMapper telescope network on international outreach initiatives. His work continues to expand opportunities for teachers and students to engage in authentic research and discover the universe for themselves.







 Paul Sasso is a Science teacher at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham, Maine and for the past 13 years has been teaching all levels of Physics and Astronomy. He also directs the STEM Makerspace at school, which is a hub for 3D printing and robotics (supporting students projects schoolwide). Paul has been a Modeler since 2017 when he took his first workshop in Physics Mechanics. He comes to teaching from a career in Engineering with Motorola, Siemens and General Dynamics. Restoring old VWs, remote camping, photography and keeping up with his wife keep Paul busy the rest of the time.