REU Site: An Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Experience in Solar and Space Physics

REU 网站：太阳和空间物理学跨学科本科生研究经验

• 批准号: 1157020
• 负责人: Daniel Baker
• 金额: $ 49.92万
• 依托单位: University of Colorado at Boulder
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-03-15 至 2018-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1157020&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: REU; Site; Interdisciplinary; Undergraduate; Research

The Principal Investigaotrs (PIs) will continue their successful summer research program that introduces undergraduate students to the interdisciplinary nature of solar and space physics in a research setting. As part of the overall program, this Colorado REU site will offer a one week summer school covering research topics related to the Sun, the heliosphere, the Earth's magnetosphere and upper atmosphere, and the coupled Sun-Earth system. This week of academic lectures and laboratories will adapt and exploit the graduate summer school curriculum developed by the Boston University team that managed the NSF's Science and Technology Center known as the "Center for Integrated Space weather Modeling" (CISM), in which the University of Colorado was a partner. This Colorado REU curriculum will emphasize practical computer skills for solar and space physics research. After the one week summer school experience, REU students will perform individual research projects guided by scientist mentors from collaborating institutes in the Boulder area, spanning the full range of scientific research topics in solar and space physics. The REU program will conclude with each student creating a workshop-quality poster and giving a 30 minute oral presentation covering their research and their scientific findings.The PIs note that the National Research Council's decadal survey of solar and space physics raised concerns about declining enrollments in academic departments related to solar and space physics, as well as reductions in the availability of academic courses relevant to the field. Since this threatened the supply of future researchers in the community, this Colorado REU team has been determined to reverse this trend by encouraging undergraduates to pursue research careers in solar and space physics. This highly successful REU program has already provided over 70 undergraduates with the motivation and technical background needed to pursue research in solar and space physics, and the majority of these students have entered graduate programs in the field after having earned their undergraduate degrees. This success is expected to continue.

首席研究员 (PI) 将继续他们成功的夏季研究计划，向本科生介绍研究环境中太阳和空间物理的跨学科性质。作为整个计划的一部分，科罗拉多 REU 站点将提供为期一周的暑期学校，涵盖与太阳、日光层、地球磁层和高层大气以及日地耦合系统相关的研究主题。本周的学术讲座和实验室将改编和利用由波士顿大学团队开发的研究生暑期课程课程，该团队管理着 NSF 科学技术中心，称为“综合空间天气模拟中心”(CISM)，其中，波士顿大学科罗拉多州是合作伙伴。科罗拉多州 REU 课程将强调太阳能和空间物理研究的实用计算机技能。经过为期一周的暑期学校体验后，REU 学生将在来自博尔德地区合作机构的科学家导师的指导下开展个人研究项目，涵盖太阳和空间物理领域的全方位科学研究主题。 REU 项目的最后，每位学生都会制作一张研讨会质量的海报，并进行 30 分钟的口头演示，介绍他们的研究和科学发现。 PI 指出，国家研究委员会对太阳和空间物理学的十年调查引起了人们对入学人数下降的担忧。与太阳和空间物理相关的学术部门，以及与该领域相关的学术课程的减少。由于这威胁到了社区未来研究人员的供应，科罗拉多州 REU 团队决心通过鼓励本科生从事太阳和空间物理学的研究职业来扭转这一趋势。这个非常成功的 REU 项目已经为 70 多名本科生提供了从事太阳和空间物理研究所需的动力和技术背景，其中大多数学生在获得本科学位后进入了该领域的研究生课程。 预计这种成功将继续下去。