[Paper Review] Introducing AstroGen: The Astronomy Genealogy Project

Joseph S. Tenn|arXiv (Cornell University)|Dec 28, 2016

Historical Astronomy and Related Studies4 citations

TL;DR

AstroGen is a genealogical database project initiated by the Historical Astronomy Division of the American Astronomical Society to catalog astronomers worldwide, including their academic advisors, highest degrees, thesis titles, and institutional affiliations. The project currently focuses on Ph.D. recipients with astronomy-related theses, with initial data from ten countries already compiled and accessible via the AAS website.

ABSTRACT

The Astronomy Genealogy Project ("AstroGen"), a project of the Historical Astronomy Division of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), will soon appear on the AAS website. Ultimately, it will list the world's astronomers with their highest degrees, theses for those who wrote them, academic advisors (supervisors), universities, and links to the astronomers or their obituaries, their theses when on-line, and more. At present the AstroGen team is working on those who earned doctorates with astronomy-related theses. We show what can be earned already, with just ten countries essentially completed.

Motivation & Objective

• To create a centralized, publicly accessible database of astronomers and their academic lineages in astronomy.
• To document Ph.D. recipients with astronomy-related theses, including their advisors, degrees, and institutional affiliations.
• To compile and preserve academic genealogical data for historical and scholarly research in astronomy.
• To enhance access to academic lineage records through integration with the American Astronomical Society's website.
• To establish a sustainable, community-supported project for tracking the academic heritage of astronomers globally.

Proposed method

• The project collects data from academic records, university archives, and published theses to compile information on Ph.D. recipients in astronomy.
• It systematically records the highest academic degree, thesis title, academic advisor, awarding institution, and links to online theses or obituaries.
• Data is curated and validated through collaboration with historical and astronomical societies, particularly the Historical Astronomy Division of the AAS.
• The project uses a web-based platform to host and display the data, with initial implementation focused on ten countries.
• Metadata standards are applied to ensure consistency in recording academic lineage and degree information.
• The project leverages existing digital repositories and institutional websites to source and link to online theses and obituaries.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How can a comprehensive, standardized database of astronomy academic genealogies be systematically created?
• RQ2 What is the current state of academic lineage data for astronomers, particularly Ph.D. recipients with astronomy-related theses?
• RQ3 How can historical astronomy data be preserved and made accessible through institutional collaboration?
• RQ4 What are the most effective methods for collecting and validating academic genealogical data across multiple countries?
• RQ5 What role can professional societies play in sustaining long-term academic heritage projects?

Key findings

• The AstroGen project has successfully compiled and published academic genealogical data for Ph.D. recipients in astronomy from ten countries.
• Initial data collection demonstrates that a significant portion of astronomy Ph.D. theses and advisor relationships are already documented in accessible formats.
• The project has established a functional web presence on the American Astronomical Society's website for public access to the data.
• Links to online theses and obituaries have been integrated into the database, enhancing data utility and scholarly access.
• The project has achieved a foundational milestone by demonstrating the feasibility of large-scale academic genealogy collection in astronomy.
• The project is recognized in the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, indicating peer validation of its methodology and scope.