There has been a dramatic revolution in the conduct of science in recent years, primarily trigger... more There has been a dramatic revolution in the conduct of science in recent years, primarily triggered by the digital revolution. Online science, collaboratories, data-intensive science, digital libraries, and scientific social networks have changed the character of science practice. Despite this revolution in how scientists do their work, there has been very little change in standard science courses and curricula to match this reality. Numerous professional society working groups, national academies committees, and national agency blue ribbon panels have produced reports that call for dramatic changes in science education at all levels. In one case, a panel of experts produced the special report "Transform Science: Computational Education for Scientists" [1]; and in another case, a landmark journal article on "Computational Thinking" is transforming numerous NSF research programs and proposal requirements [2]. The proposed interactive presentation session for ITL&#...
The remarkable success of Galaxy Zoo as a citizen science project for galaxy classification withi... more The remarkable success of Galaxy Zoo as a citizen science project for galaxy classification within a terascale astronomy data collection has led to the development of a broader collaboration, known as the Zooniverse. Activities will include astronomy, lunar science, solar science, and digital humanities. Some features of our program include development of a unified framework for citizen science projects, development
ABSTRACT A ``ring'' galaxy is thought to result from the nearly head-on collision... more ABSTRACT A ``ring'' galaxy is thought to result from the nearly head-on collision between an intruder galaxy and a spiral. During this collision, an expanding density wave sweeps disk material into a ring form in the target galaxy. The cloud-cloud collisions in the nucleus of the target galaxy result in starburst activity. We present IUE spectra for a sample of 11 ``ring'' galaxies selected on the basis of their morphology and IRAS detections. The remnant nuclei of the target galaxies were observed with the SWP camera. The IUE observations reveal diverse results; i.e., starburst activity (NGC 7714), elevated UV continuum (Arp 144), and Ly-alpha emission with no other UV features (Arp 147). Presumably, the UV activity is dependent upon the dynamics of the initial collision, the strength and duration of the nuclear starburst, and the elapsed time since the collision.
A sample of 19 low redshift (0.03<z<0.07) very luminous infrared galaxy (VLIRG: 10^11L_<... more A sample of 19 low redshift (0.03<z<0.07) very luminous infrared galaxy (VLIRG: 10^11L_< L[8-1000 μm] < 10^12 L_) systems (30 galaxies) has been imaged in B, V, and I. These objects cover a luminosity range that is key to linking the most luminous infrared galaxies with the population of galaxies at large. We have obtained photometry for all of these VLIRG systems, the individual galaxies (when detached), and their nuclei, and the relative behavior of these classes has been studied in optical color-magnitude diagrams. The photometric properties of the sample are also compared with previously studied samples of ULIRGs. The mean observed photometric properties of VLIRG and ULIRG samples, considered as a whole, are indistinguishable at optical wavelengths. This suggests that not only ULIRG, but also the more numerous population of VLIRGs, have similar rest-frame optical photometric properties as the submillimeter galaxies (SMG), reinforcing the connection between low- z LIR...
The Scholars of Studying Teaching Collaborative engaged a dozen faculty members from 12 specializ... more The Scholars of Studying Teaching Collaborative engaged a dozen faculty members from 12 specializations and 4 colleges at a large public university in a 2-year teach-ing and research project with the goal of learning about and enacting a self-study of professional practice. Participants were selected from various disciplines to pro-voke alternative perspectives in whole group and critical friend teams. While we each conducted a self-study, we also designed and enacted a meta-study to assess our professional development within the context of the collaborative. We analyze the potential of engaging in collective self-study and report how the methodologi-cal challenges initiated transformational learning that bridged theory and praxis. Learning the self-study methodology was complex, but such concentration
Science research programs have become massive data producers. This ability to produce large data ... more Science research programs have become massive data producers. This ability to produce large data volumes must be matched by technologies that make better use of the data flood and that facilitate reuse of the data, in order to reap the maximum scientific return from our research investments. In particular, the extraction and integration of knowledge from multiple data sources must become standard practice, both for science-enabled decision support and for scientific discovery. We describe the emerging e-Science paradigm and its application to data-driven knowledge discovery and collaborative knowledge sharing. The Science Data Flood The flood of data in all disciplines poses a critical challenge to the advancement of science. The challenge is manifest in several areas: data discovery, data access, information retrieval, knowledge discovery, knowledge representation, and knowledge sharing. As the quantity of data increases at fantastic rates over the next several years, these challen...
Abstract. We describe features of the LSST science database that are amenable to scientific data ... more Abstract. We describe features of the LSST science database that are amenable to scientific data mining, object classification, outlier identification, anomaly detection, image quality assurance, and survey science validation. The data mining research agenda includes: scalability (at petabytes scales) of existing machine learning and data mining algorithms; development of grid-enabled parallel data mining algorithms; designing a robust system for brokering classifications from the LSST event pipeline (which may produce 10,000 or more event alerts per night); multi-resolution methods for exploration of petascale databases; indexing of multi-attribute multi-dimensional astronomical databases (beyond spatial indexing) for rapid querying of petabyte databases; and more.
We describe the new data-intensive research paradigm that astronomy and astrophysics is now enter... more We describe the new data-intensive research paradigm that astronomy and astrophysics is now entering. This is described within the context of the largest data-producing astronomy project in the coming decade – the LSST (Large Synoptic Survey Telescope). The enormous data output, database contents, knowledge discovery, and community science expected from this project will impose massive data challenges on the astronomical research community. One of these challenge areas is the rapid machine learning, data mining, and classification of all novel astronomical events from each 3-gigapixel (6-GB) image obtained every 20 seconds throughout every night for the project duration of 10 years. We describe these challenges and a particular implementation of a classification broker for this data fire hose. 1.
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks are appealing for astronomy data mining from virtual observatories be... more Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks are appealing for astronomy data mining from virtual observatories because of the large volume of the data, compute-intensive tasks, potentially large number of users, and distributed nature of the data analysis process. This paper offers a brief overview of PADMINI—a Peer-to-Peer Astronomy Data MINIng system. It also presents a case study on PADMINI for distributed outlier detection using astronomy data. PADMINI is a web- based system powered by Google Sky and distributed data mining algorithms that run on a collection of computing nodes. This paper offers a case study of the PADMINI evaluating the architecture and the performance of the overall system. Detailed experimental results are presented in order to document the utility and scalability of the system. As the amount of data available at various geographically distributed sources is increasing rapidly, traditional centralized techniques for performing data analytics are proving to be insufficient f...
This paper represents the consensus view of the 124 participants in the Second Workshop on New Co... more This paper represents the consensus view of the 124 participants in the Second Workshop on New Concepts for Far-Infrared/Submillimeter Space Astronomy.We recommend that NASA pursue the vision for far-IR astronomy outlined in the NAS Decadal Survey, which said: A rational coordinated program for space optical and infrared astronomy would build on the experience gained with NGST1 to construct [a JWST-scale filled-aperture far-IR telescope SAFIR, and then ultimately, in the decade 2010 to 2020, build on the SAFIR, TPF, and SIM experience to assemble a space-based, far-infrared interferometer. SAFIR will study star formation in the young universe, the buildup of elements heavier than hydrogen over cosmic history, the process of galaxy formation, and the early phases of star formation, which occur behind a veil of dust that precludes detection at mid IR and shorter wavelengths. The far-infrared interferometer will resolve distant galaxies to study protogalaxy interactions and mergers and...
We present results from an on-going Hubble Space Telescope (HST) survey of a large sample of ULIR... more We present results from an on-going Hubble Space Telescope (HST) survey of a large sample of ULIRGs (Ultra-Luminous IR Galaxies). New ground-based observations are now being used to complement the HST data and to assist in the interpretation of these complex objects. A rich spectroscopic, morphological, and dynamical diversity is found within the ULIRG population, nearly 100% of which are merger and/or collision remnants. The consequences of this diversity may apply to the interpretation of distant submm/FIR sources and their subsequent evolution.
Science research programs have become massive data producers. This ability to produce large data ... more Science research programs have become massive data producers. This ability to produce large data volumes must be matched by technologies that make better use of the data flood and that facilitate reuse of the data, in order to reap the maximum scientific return from our research investments. In particular, the extraction and integration of knowledge from multiple data sources must become standard practice, both for science-enabled decision support and for scientific discovery. We describe the emerging e-Science paradigm and its application to data-driven knowledge discovery and collaborative knowledge sharing.
arXiv: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics, 2019
This Astro2020 State of the Profession Consideration White Paper highlights the growth of astrost... more This Astro2020 State of the Profession Consideration White Paper highlights the growth of astrostatistics and astroinformatics in astronomy, identifies key issues hampering the maturation of these new subfields, and makes recommendations for structural improvements at different levels that, if acted upon, will make significant positive impacts across astronomy.
Data volumes from multiple sky surveys have grown from gigabytes into terabytes during the past d... more Data volumes from multiple sky surveys have grown from gigabytes into terabytes during the past decade, and will grow from terabytes into tens (or hundreds) of petabytes in the next decade. This exponential growth of new data both enables and challenges effective astronomical research, requiring new approaches. Thus far, astronomy has tended to address these challenges in an informal and ad hoc manner, with the necessary special expertise being assigned to e-Science or survey science. However, we see an even wider scope and therefore promote a broader vision of this data-driven revolution in astronomical research. For astronomy to effectively cope with and reap the maximum scientific return from existing and future large sky surveys, facilities, and data-producing projects, we need our own information science specialists. We therefore recommend the formal creation, recognition, and support of a major new discipline, which we call Astroinformatics. Astroinformatics includes a set of ...
Over the past century, major advances in astronomy and astrophysics have been largely driven by i... more Over the past century, major advances in astronomy and astrophysics have been largely driven by improvements in instrumentation and data collection. With the amassing of high quality data from new telescopes, and especially with the advent of deep and large astronomical surveys, it is becoming clear that future advances will also rely heavily on how those data are analyzed and interpreted. New methodologies derived from advances in statistics, computer science, and machine learning are beginning to be employed in sophisticated investigations that are not only bringing forth new discoveries, but are placing them on a solid footing. Progress in wide-field sky surveys, interferometric imaging, precision cosmology, exoplanet detection and characterization, and many subfields of stellar, Galactic and extragalactic astronomy, has resulted in complex data analysis challenges that must be solved to perform scientific inference. Research in astrostatistics and astroinformatics will be necess...
There has been a dramatic revolution in the conduct of science in recent years, primarily trigger... more There has been a dramatic revolution in the conduct of science in recent years, primarily triggered by the digital revolution. Online science, collaboratories, data-intensive science, digital libraries, and scientific social networks have changed the character of science practice. Despite this revolution in how scientists do their work, there has been very little change in standard science courses and curricula to match this reality. Numerous professional society working groups, national academies committees, and national agency blue ribbon panels have produced reports that call for dramatic changes in science education at all levels. In one case, a panel of experts produced the special report "Transform Science: Computational Education for Scientists" [1]; and in another case, a landmark journal article on "Computational Thinking" is transforming numerous NSF research programs and proposal requirements [2]. The proposed interactive presentation session for ITL&#...
The remarkable success of Galaxy Zoo as a citizen science project for galaxy classification withi... more The remarkable success of Galaxy Zoo as a citizen science project for galaxy classification within a terascale astronomy data collection has led to the development of a broader collaboration, known as the Zooniverse. Activities will include astronomy, lunar science, solar science, and digital humanities. Some features of our program include development of a unified framework for citizen science projects, development
ABSTRACT A ``ring&#39;&#39; galaxy is thought to result from the nearly head-on collision... more ABSTRACT A ``ring&#39;&#39; galaxy is thought to result from the nearly head-on collision between an intruder galaxy and a spiral. During this collision, an expanding density wave sweeps disk material into a ring form in the target galaxy. The cloud-cloud collisions in the nucleus of the target galaxy result in starburst activity. We present IUE spectra for a sample of 11 ``ring&#39;&#39; galaxies selected on the basis of their morphology and IRAS detections. The remnant nuclei of the target galaxies were observed with the SWP camera. The IUE observations reveal diverse results; i.e., starburst activity (NGC 7714), elevated UV continuum (Arp 144), and Ly-alpha emission with no other UV features (Arp 147). Presumably, the UV activity is dependent upon the dynamics of the initial collision, the strength and duration of the nuclear starburst, and the elapsed time since the collision.
A sample of 19 low redshift (0.03<z<0.07) very luminous infrared galaxy (VLIRG: 10^11L_<... more A sample of 19 low redshift (0.03<z<0.07) very luminous infrared galaxy (VLIRG: 10^11L_< L[8-1000 μm] < 10^12 L_) systems (30 galaxies) has been imaged in B, V, and I. These objects cover a luminosity range that is key to linking the most luminous infrared galaxies with the population of galaxies at large. We have obtained photometry for all of these VLIRG systems, the individual galaxies (when detached), and their nuclei, and the relative behavior of these classes has been studied in optical color-magnitude diagrams. The photometric properties of the sample are also compared with previously studied samples of ULIRGs. The mean observed photometric properties of VLIRG and ULIRG samples, considered as a whole, are indistinguishable at optical wavelengths. This suggests that not only ULIRG, but also the more numerous population of VLIRGs, have similar rest-frame optical photometric properties as the submillimeter galaxies (SMG), reinforcing the connection between low- z LIR...
The Scholars of Studying Teaching Collaborative engaged a dozen faculty members from 12 specializ... more The Scholars of Studying Teaching Collaborative engaged a dozen faculty members from 12 specializations and 4 colleges at a large public university in a 2-year teach-ing and research project with the goal of learning about and enacting a self-study of professional practice. Participants were selected from various disciplines to pro-voke alternative perspectives in whole group and critical friend teams. While we each conducted a self-study, we also designed and enacted a meta-study to assess our professional development within the context of the collaborative. We analyze the potential of engaging in collective self-study and report how the methodologi-cal challenges initiated transformational learning that bridged theory and praxis. Learning the self-study methodology was complex, but such concentration
Science research programs have become massive data producers. This ability to produce large data ... more Science research programs have become massive data producers. This ability to produce large data volumes must be matched by technologies that make better use of the data flood and that facilitate reuse of the data, in order to reap the maximum scientific return from our research investments. In particular, the extraction and integration of knowledge from multiple data sources must become standard practice, both for science-enabled decision support and for scientific discovery. We describe the emerging e-Science paradigm and its application to data-driven knowledge discovery and collaborative knowledge sharing. The Science Data Flood The flood of data in all disciplines poses a critical challenge to the advancement of science. The challenge is manifest in several areas: data discovery, data access, information retrieval, knowledge discovery, knowledge representation, and knowledge sharing. As the quantity of data increases at fantastic rates over the next several years, these challen...
Abstract. We describe features of the LSST science database that are amenable to scientific data ... more Abstract. We describe features of the LSST science database that are amenable to scientific data mining, object classification, outlier identification, anomaly detection, image quality assurance, and survey science validation. The data mining research agenda includes: scalability (at petabytes scales) of existing machine learning and data mining algorithms; development of grid-enabled parallel data mining algorithms; designing a robust system for brokering classifications from the LSST event pipeline (which may produce 10,000 or more event alerts per night); multi-resolution methods for exploration of petascale databases; indexing of multi-attribute multi-dimensional astronomical databases (beyond spatial indexing) for rapid querying of petabyte databases; and more.
We describe the new data-intensive research paradigm that astronomy and astrophysics is now enter... more We describe the new data-intensive research paradigm that astronomy and astrophysics is now entering. This is described within the context of the largest data-producing astronomy project in the coming decade – the LSST (Large Synoptic Survey Telescope). The enormous data output, database contents, knowledge discovery, and community science expected from this project will impose massive data challenges on the astronomical research community. One of these challenge areas is the rapid machine learning, data mining, and classification of all novel astronomical events from each 3-gigapixel (6-GB) image obtained every 20 seconds throughout every night for the project duration of 10 years. We describe these challenges and a particular implementation of a classification broker for this data fire hose. 1.
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks are appealing for astronomy data mining from virtual observatories be... more Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks are appealing for astronomy data mining from virtual observatories because of the large volume of the data, compute-intensive tasks, potentially large number of users, and distributed nature of the data analysis process. This paper offers a brief overview of PADMINI—a Peer-to-Peer Astronomy Data MINIng system. It also presents a case study on PADMINI for distributed outlier detection using astronomy data. PADMINI is a web- based system powered by Google Sky and distributed data mining algorithms that run on a collection of computing nodes. This paper offers a case study of the PADMINI evaluating the architecture and the performance of the overall system. Detailed experimental results are presented in order to document the utility and scalability of the system. As the amount of data available at various geographically distributed sources is increasing rapidly, traditional centralized techniques for performing data analytics are proving to be insufficient f...
This paper represents the consensus view of the 124 participants in the Second Workshop on New Co... more This paper represents the consensus view of the 124 participants in the Second Workshop on New Concepts for Far-Infrared/Submillimeter Space Astronomy.We recommend that NASA pursue the vision for far-IR astronomy outlined in the NAS Decadal Survey, which said: A rational coordinated program for space optical and infrared astronomy would build on the experience gained with NGST1 to construct [a JWST-scale filled-aperture far-IR telescope SAFIR, and then ultimately, in the decade 2010 to 2020, build on the SAFIR, TPF, and SIM experience to assemble a space-based, far-infrared interferometer. SAFIR will study star formation in the young universe, the buildup of elements heavier than hydrogen over cosmic history, the process of galaxy formation, and the early phases of star formation, which occur behind a veil of dust that precludes detection at mid IR and shorter wavelengths. The far-infrared interferometer will resolve distant galaxies to study protogalaxy interactions and mergers and...
We present results from an on-going Hubble Space Telescope (HST) survey of a large sample of ULIR... more We present results from an on-going Hubble Space Telescope (HST) survey of a large sample of ULIRGs (Ultra-Luminous IR Galaxies). New ground-based observations are now being used to complement the HST data and to assist in the interpretation of these complex objects. A rich spectroscopic, morphological, and dynamical diversity is found within the ULIRG population, nearly 100% of which are merger and/or collision remnants. The consequences of this diversity may apply to the interpretation of distant submm/FIR sources and their subsequent evolution.
Science research programs have become massive data producers. This ability to produce large data ... more Science research programs have become massive data producers. This ability to produce large data volumes must be matched by technologies that make better use of the data flood and that facilitate reuse of the data, in order to reap the maximum scientific return from our research investments. In particular, the extraction and integration of knowledge from multiple data sources must become standard practice, both for science-enabled decision support and for scientific discovery. We describe the emerging e-Science paradigm and its application to data-driven knowledge discovery and collaborative knowledge sharing.
arXiv: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics, 2019
This Astro2020 State of the Profession Consideration White Paper highlights the growth of astrost... more This Astro2020 State of the Profession Consideration White Paper highlights the growth of astrostatistics and astroinformatics in astronomy, identifies key issues hampering the maturation of these new subfields, and makes recommendations for structural improvements at different levels that, if acted upon, will make significant positive impacts across astronomy.
Data volumes from multiple sky surveys have grown from gigabytes into terabytes during the past d... more Data volumes from multiple sky surveys have grown from gigabytes into terabytes during the past decade, and will grow from terabytes into tens (or hundreds) of petabytes in the next decade. This exponential growth of new data both enables and challenges effective astronomical research, requiring new approaches. Thus far, astronomy has tended to address these challenges in an informal and ad hoc manner, with the necessary special expertise being assigned to e-Science or survey science. However, we see an even wider scope and therefore promote a broader vision of this data-driven revolution in astronomical research. For astronomy to effectively cope with and reap the maximum scientific return from existing and future large sky surveys, facilities, and data-producing projects, we need our own information science specialists. We therefore recommend the formal creation, recognition, and support of a major new discipline, which we call Astroinformatics. Astroinformatics includes a set of ...
Over the past century, major advances in astronomy and astrophysics have been largely driven by i... more Over the past century, major advances in astronomy and astrophysics have been largely driven by improvements in instrumentation and data collection. With the amassing of high quality data from new telescopes, and especially with the advent of deep and large astronomical surveys, it is becoming clear that future advances will also rely heavily on how those data are analyzed and interpreted. New methodologies derived from advances in statistics, computer science, and machine learning are beginning to be employed in sophisticated investigations that are not only bringing forth new discoveries, but are placing them on a solid footing. Progress in wide-field sky surveys, interferometric imaging, precision cosmology, exoplanet detection and characterization, and many subfields of stellar, Galactic and extragalactic astronomy, has resulted in complex data analysis challenges that must be solved to perform scientific inference. Research in astrostatistics and astroinformatics will be necess...
Uploads
Papers by Kirk Borne