Volatiles in Disks Around Young Stars: Disentangling Our Origins

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。埃里卡·吉布博士将研究挥发性分子，如水、一氧化碳和简单的有机分子是如何在黑云坍缩成原行星盘并最终合并成原行星或彗星的过程中进化的。这一提议将支持对年轻恒星周围的众多盘和包层进行高分辨率近红外光谱研究，以辨别这些物体的化学成分。该计划的一个主要目标将是探索形成环境和观测几何结构如何影响恒星形成区域中测量到的气体和尘埃组成。研究结果将用于测试云和盘的化学演化模型。预计该项目将对生命起源和年轻恒星演化的研究产生广泛影响，并将有助于更好地了解星际和磁盘化学，并将对磁盘的化学建模产生重大影响。吉布博士和她的团队将通过对圣路易斯大都会地区的教师进行教育，将他们的研究整合到中学教育中。他们将与她所在机构的教育学院合作举办一个夏季讲习班，培训圣路易斯地区的教师如何有效地在课堂上使用基于天文学的活动。这些活动将增进对科学概念的理解，并教导科学探究的根本重要性。该研讨会将通过跨学科的科学方法解决密苏里州中学生科学年级水平期望的关键组成部分。吉布博士和华盛顿特区的一位合作者将开发一个类似的以彗星科学为重点的研讨会。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Dr. Erika Gibb will investigate how volatile molecules such as water, carbon monoxide, and simple organic molecules evolved through the collapse of a dark cloud into a protoplanetary disk and eventual incorporation into protoplanets or comets. This proposal will support a high-resolution, near-infrared spectroscopic study of numerous disks and envelopes surrounding very young stars to discern the chemical composition of these objects. A major goal of the program will be to explore how the formation environment and viewing geometry affect the measured composition of gas and dust in star forming regions. The results will be used to test models of chemical evolution of clouds and disks. This project is expected to have a broad impact on studies of origins of life and the evolution of young stars, and will contribute to a better understanding of interstellar and disk chemistry and will significantly impact chemical modeling of disks. Dr. Gibb and her team will integrate their research into secondary school education by educating teachers in the metropolitan St. Louis area. They will develop a summer workshop, in collaboration with the College of Education at her institution, to train teachers in the St. Louis area in the effective classroom use of astronomy-based activities. The activities will enhance conceptual understanding of science and teach the fundamental importance of scientific inquiry. The workshop will address key components of the Missouri Science Grade Level Expectations for secondary students through an interdisciplinary approach to science. A similar workshop, focusing on comet science, will be developed by Dr. Gibb and a collaborator for the Washington, DC metropolitan area.