Brian Hill

Herbert Reich Chair of Natural Science, Deep Springs College

Upcoming Courses

Spring 2026

• Analog Electronics - Course Proposal

Current and Past Courses

At Deep Springs College

Astronomy

• The Cosmos: A Survey of Modern Astronomy
• Methods and Results of Ancient Astronomy
• Observational Astronomy
• Supernova Observation (Spring Semester 2024 Directed Study with Hexi Jin and Ethan Liao)
• Transient Astronomy (Spring Semester 2023 Directed Study with Sofia Mikulasek and Luke Suess)

Mathematics

• Bayesian Statistics
• Differential Equations (May-June 2022 Independent Study with Aubryn Kaine and Tashroom Ashan)
• Heavenly Mathematics (co-taught with Ryan Derby-Talbot)
• Mathematical Analysis
• Numerical Analysis on a Pocket Calculator

Physics

• From Galileo to Newton: The Emergence of Modern Physical Science
• History and Science of the Manhattan Project
• Modern Introductory Physics, Part I: Classical Mechanics
• Modern Introductory Physics, Part II: Quantum Mechanics and Nuclear Physics
• Oscillations and Waves
• Relativity and Black Holes

Technology

• Cryptography: Algorithms and History
• Modeling, Simulation, and Rendering in Processing
• Scientific Data Analysis, Data Science, and Machine Learning in Python (May-June 2025 Independent Study with Hexi Jin)
  • See also my Deep Learning write-up for the mathematics of backpropagation
  • Study of transformers could continue from where we left off using Build a Large Language Model (from Scratch) by Sebastian Raschka.
• Technological MacGyvering with the Arduino Microprocessor

At Saint Mary’s College of California

• Past Courses at Saint Mary’s College of California

Presentations and Publications

• Presentations and Publications

Weather Forecasts, Historical Weather, Dark Sky, Air Quality, Fire, and GIS Links

Weather Forecasts

• Weather Underground 10-day forecasts for Dyer and Bishop
• Apple Dark Sky app forecast for Deep Springs
• Norway Meteorological Institute forecast for Deep Springs
• Norway Meteorological Institute forecast for The Elephant
• Astrospheric astronomical forecast for Deep Springs
• ClearDarkSky astronomical forecast for Deep Springs Observatory
• Windy graphical wind map

Historical Weather

• National Weather Service MesoWest Weather Conditions at Deep Springs
• Other weather stations

Dark Sky

• Dark Site Finder interactive map centered on Deep Springs College

Air Quality

• PurpleAir air quality map centered on Deep Springs College

Satellite Imagery and Fire Information

The links below are often moved around, so unfortunately they may not work. Please let me know if a link has gone dead.

• GOES West Pacific Southwest GeoColor
• NASA FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management System)
• RAMMB/CIRA GOES-17 fire temperature animation for Northern and Central California

Geology and GIS

• California Fault Activity Map centered on Deep Springs College
• At Inyo County Public Maps choose “Inyo County GIS Data Map”

More Links

• Home page of Deep Springs Observatory
• Deep Springs College faculty listing