NRT-WoU: Research Training Opportunities in the Nascent Field of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics

NRT-WoU：多信使天体物理学新兴领域的研究培训机会

• 批准号: 1922512
• 负责人: Vuk Mandic
• 金额: $ 299.97万
• 依托单位: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-09-01 至 2025-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1922512&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NRT; WoU; Research; Training; Opportunities

On August 17, 2017, a collision of two neutron stars was observed both by gravitational-wave detectors and by traditional telescopes. This first simultaneous observation of an astrophysical event by the two "messengers" (gravitational waves and light) has had broad scientific implications, ranging from tests of fundamental physical laws and expansion of the universe to the understanding of the origin of the heaviest elements in the periodic table. The event ushered in a new field, Multi-Messenger Astrophysics, with the potential to transform how researchers observe and understand the universe. In the coming years, vast amounts of new data are expected from existing and upcoming gravitational wave detectors, telescopes, gamma ray detectors, and neutrino detectors. The size, complexity, and diversity of the new datasets will be unlike anything seen in Astrophysics. This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities will facilitate the management, processing, and analysis of these datasets by training MS and PhD students in modern data science techniques. The NRT will use the nascent field of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics as a training ground to prepare students for the challenges of the modern data-driven workforce in both industry and academia. This project anticipates training fifty (50) MS and PhD students, including thirty (30) funded trainees, from the fields of astrophysics, computer science, electrical engineering, physics and statistics. In addition, approximately eighty (80) graduate students are anticipated to participate in aspects of the technical, research, and professional training provided by the project.The trainees will pursue unique research opportunities by working in interdisciplinary trainee teams, mentored by interdisciplinary faculty mentoring teams. They will use the most modern data analytics techniques, such as machine learning, deep learning, Bayesian inference and others, to address some of the pressing questions in Multi-Messenger Astrophysics. Their training will include a series of workshops, seminars, symposia, journal club, outreach activities, and fall retreats designed to provide trainees with a broader exposure to data science techniques, tools, and applications, and with opportunities for development of professional communications and leadership skills, and career development, vision, and impact skills. The trainees will pursue summer research and industry internships with local and national companies and research organizations. A series of activities will be pursued to ensure full participation of underrepresented minorities and women and to develop a strong community around this program that will provide a supportive structure for the trainees, helping them move through the program efficiently and presenting them with career opportunities post-graduation. The best practices developed by this program will be publicly available for adoption by other STEM graduate programs across the nation. The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new potentially transformative models for STEM graduate education training. The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas through comprehensive traineeship models that are innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

2017年8月17日，引力波探测器和传统望远镜都观察到了两个中子星的碰撞。这两个“使者”（引力波和光线）对天体物理事件的第一个同时观察具有广泛的科学意义，从对基本物理定律的测试以及对宇宙的扩展的测试到对周期餐桌中最重的元素起源的理解。该事件引入了一个新的领域，多理智的天体物理学，有可能改变研究人员观察和理解宇宙的方式。在接下来的几年中，可以从现有和即将到来的重力波检测器，望远镜，伽马射线探测器和中微子探测器中获得大量新数据。新数据集的大小，复杂性和多样性将与天体物理学中的任何内容不同。这项国家科学基金会研究实习生（NRT）颁发给明尼苏达大学双城的奖项将通过培训MS和PHD学生在现代数据科学技术中培训MS和PHD学生来促进这些数据集的管理，处理和分析。 NRT将利用多理智的天体物理学的新生领域作为培训场所，为学生们为现代数据驱动的劳动力在行业和学术界的挑战做好准备。该项目预计培训了来自天体物理学，计算机科学，电气工程，物理和统计的五十（50）个MS和博士生，包括三十（30）个资助的学员。 此外，预计大约有80（80）个研究生将参加该项目提供的技术，研究和专业培训的各个方面。受训人员将通过在跨学科的教师指导的跨学科学员团队中通过工作机会来寻求独特的研究机会。他们将使用最现代的数据分析技术，例如机器学习，深度学习，贝叶斯推理等，以解决多门机天体物理学中的一些紧迫问题。他们的培训将包括一系列研讨会，研讨会，座谈会，期刊俱乐部，外展活动以及旨在为受训者提供更广泛的数据科学技术，工具和应用程序的秋季撤退，以及为专业沟通和领导能力以及职业发展，职业发展，愿景和影响力的发展机会。学员将在本地和国家公司和研究组织中进行夏季研究和行业实习。将开展一系列活动，以确保代表性不足的少数民族和妇女的充分参与，并围绕该计划建立一个强大的社区，这将为受训者提供支持结构，从而帮助他们有效地通过该计划，并在毕业后向他们介绍职业机会。该计划开发的最佳实践将被全国其他STEM研究生计划公开采用。 NSF研究训练（NRT）计划旨在鼓励开发和实施用于STEM研究生教育培训的大胆，新的潜在变革模型。该计划致力于通过全面的跨学科或收敛性研究领域的STEM研究生进行有效培训，通过全面的培训模型，这些模型具有创新性，基于循证的，并且与不断变化的劳动力和研究需求保持一致。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过使用基金会的知识优点和广泛影响来评估NSF的法定任务，并被视为值得的支持。