Collaborative Research: Unearthing the Young Stars in Aquila

合作研究：发掘天鹰座的年轻恒星

• 批准号: 2206443
• 负责人: Travis Rector
• 金额: $ 13.63万
• 依托单位: University of Alaska Anchorage Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-08-01 至 2025-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2206443&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Unearthing; Young; Stars

A major goal in astronomy is to understand the conditions necessary to form stars. Stars begin their lives in giant, dusty clouds of gas. The Orion Nebula is a spectacular example of such a cloud in which many stars are forming. A particularly interesting star forming region is the Aquila Rift, a massive expanse of dark gas clouds. The Rift is important because no other nebula so large and potentially rich in young stars lies this close to the Sun. For many decades astronomers have been puzzled by the lack of young stars in the Rift because it contains enough gas to form about a hundred thousand Suns. Yet only a few young stars had been identified in the Rift. One way to find evidence of forming stars is to look for Herbig-Haro (HH) objects- distinct jets of gas that are produced by young stars. A new method has proven successful in finding several dozen new HH objects in the Rift, many in places where none had been seen before. Their discovery shows that many more stars are forming in the Rift than previously thought. The goal of this project is to complete a comprehensive survey of the Rift to better understand the extent of star formation within its clouds. The survey will use the "Dark Energy" Camera (DECam) on the Blanco 4-meter telescope at the Cerro Tololo Interamerican observatory, which is operated by NSF's NOIRLab. It is the only telescope in the world that can do this search.This search for HH objects in the Rift will be developed by Dr. Rector into a "Curriculum for Undergraduate Research Experience" (CURE). CUREs are an established instructional model that integrates scientific research with education by giving introductory-level undergraduate students an opportunity to do authentic research with real data. Its goals are threefold: (1) to teach that science is a process of discovery, not just a body of knowledge, (2) to improve attitudes towards science and STEM careers, and (3) to develop critical thinking, teamwork and goal-driven work skills important in any career. Dr. Prato will also mentor her undergraduate students and participate in outreach activities, particularly as a role model to women in science and to girls interested in pursuing science as a career. Prato actively mentors professional junior women at Lowell and NAU. Furthermore, Prato is developing a curriculum for a professional development workshop aimed at providing advanced undergraduates and early-career graduate students with critical professional advice of the type that is not typically taught in class. Prato is also leading a major effort to provide information and resources for high school students in under-resourced communities to pursue secondary STEM education.This project is jointly funded by the Astronomy Division and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.

天文学的主要目标是了解形成恒星所需的条件。星星以巨大的尘土飞扬的气体开始生命。猎户座星云是许多恒星形成的云层的壮观例子。一个特别有趣的恒星形成区域是Aquila Rift，这是深色气云的广阔。裂痕很重要，因为没有其他星云那么大，并且潜在的年轻恒星都靠近太阳。数十年来，天文学家一直因裂谷中缺乏年轻恒星而感到困惑，因为它含有足够的气体形成大约十万个太阳。然而，在裂谷中只有几个年轻的明星。 找到形成恒星的证据的一种方法是寻找Herbig-Haro（HH）物体 - 年轻恒星产生的不同气体。事实证明，一种新方法成功地在裂谷中找到了几十个新的HH对象，许多方法在以前看不见的地方。他们的发现表明，在裂谷中形成的恒星比以前想象的要多。该项目的目的是完成对裂谷的全面调查，以更好地了解其云中恒星形成的程度。该调查将使用由NSF的Noirlab操作的Cerro Tololo Intererican天文台的Blanco 4米望远镜上的“暗能量”摄像头（DECAM）。它是世界上唯一可以进行此搜索的望远镜。该搜索将由Rift中的HH对象进行搜索。治疗方法是一种既定的教学模型，它通过给入门级的本科生提供了使用真实数据进行真实研究的机会，将科学研究与教育融为一体。它的目标是三重：（1）教导科学是一个发现的过程，不仅是知识体系，（2）提高对科学和STEM职业的态度，以及（3）发展批判性思维，团队合作和目标驱动的工作技能在任何职业中都很重要。 Prato博士还将指导她的本科生，并参加外展活动，尤其是作为科学女性的榜样，以及有兴趣追求科学作为职业的女孩。 Prato积极指导Lowell和NAU的专业初中女性。此外，Prato正在为专业发展研讨会开发课程，旨在为高级本科生和早期职业研究生提供对通常不在课堂上教授的类型的重要专业建议。 Prato is also leading a major effort to provide information and resources for high school students in under-resourced communities to pursue secondary STEM education.This project is jointly funded by the Astronomy Division and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.