Astronomy is a beloved science to the people of Birmingham, and students at UAB can learn about astronomy through formal study and student organizations.

The Physics Department at UAB offers a variety of astronomy courses (lecture/lab) in astronomy at the introductory level. Students may enroll in a lab during the same semester as the lecture counterpart, or in a later semester. The time commitment for each lecture course is 9 hours per week (3 credit hours), and 3 hours per week for the lab course (1 credit hour). Labs complement the lectures by introducing students to science process skills using lab kit materials sent to each student at the beginning of each semester. There are no prerequisites for these courses. They can be taken in any order based on students’ interests.

Students wishing to pursue a career in astronomy will be supported by completing a physics degree at UAB. Please consult with your academic advisor to learn about which physics track will best support your future study.

Dr. Michelle Wooten (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) oversees the astronomy efforts at UAB, including course design and curriculum development. If you have inquiries about formal study of astronomy at UAB, please contact her. Other instructors of astronomy at UAB include Dr. Younas Khan (Instructor at UAB), Dr. Perry Gerakines (NASA Goddard), and Dr. Kathryn Williamson (Kathryn Williamson Consulting).

If you would like to know more about Dr. Wooten’s scholarship on dark sky studies, please visit her faculty profile.

Spring 2024 Astronomy 101 students show off recycled artwork they made during course activities.

Spring 2024 AST 101 students make recycled astronomy art.

Spring 2024 AST 101 students on a night hike at Oak Mountain State Park.

Getting ready to take measurements of campus lighting in GIS with Trimble data collectors. Left to right: Dr. Michelle Wooten (Campus SHINE at UAB Lab at UAB Leader), Kendal Colley (Jefferson County International Baccalaureate student), Spence Henderson (UAB Facilities), and Andrew King (UAB Facilities).

Dr. Wooten (UAB Physics), Kendal Colley (Jefferson County International Baccalaureate), and Helen Robinson (UAB Physics) collect GIS location and color measurements of campus luminaires as part of Campus SHINE at UAB Lab activities.

Ben Heine from UAB Facilities supervises UAB engineering students as they prepare to fly a drone they designed and built to capture sky quality measurements. These measurements will be studied as part of ongoing research by the Campus SHINE Lab, to assess how UAB campus lighting is impacting the local environment.

Kendal Colley (Jefferson County International Baccalaureate student) presents her collaborative research with Dr. Michelle Wooten on UAB crime data statistics from 2022 at the 2024 Alabama Academy of Sciences Conference.