deletions | additions       diff --git a/motivation.tex b/motivation.tex  index 5de09dc..7dac70f 100644  --- a/motivation.tex  +++ b/motivation.tex 
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Astronomy---like all sciences---evolves, and the skills that a student of astronomy is expected to acquire therefore also evolve. Numerical software has made tables of integrals gather dust; data analysis and CCD detectors have replaced visual scanning of photographic plates.  Further, the majority of astronomy majors do not become professional astronomers; they do, however, find employment in a variety of STEM fields. For both these reasons, the undergraduate major must impart skills that are broadly applicable.  As part of a recent response to an institutional  accreditation exercise, review,  the astronomy group committed to the following learning outcomes for the undergraduate astronomy program. \begin{quote}  Students completing an Astrophysics degree will be able to:  \begin{enumerate} 
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Data analysis and numerical computation are now ubiquitous in astronomy and in STEM careers; yet undergraduate curricula have been slower to systematically train students in these skills. In addition to having a greater reliance on statistical and computational techniques, astronomy, like other STEM fields, is increasingly collaborative. Skills such as communication and project management are an essential component of a student's education.  This gap between what is taught in courses and what is needed by the discipline is readily apparent when the astronomy students begin their senior thesis, which is a requirement for an astronomy degree at Michigan State. As noted in the astronomy group's response to the  accreditation report, review,  \begin{quote}  During the past decade, we have found that many of our students  begin their senior thesis project without the statistical,