Bridging the Gap: Connecting Galactic and Extragalactic Studies of Star Formation

阿曼达·海德曼博士被授予美国国家科学基金会天文学和天体物理学博士后奖学金，在弗吉尼亚大学和国家射电天文台开展研究和教育项目。研究员的项目将通过直接比较银河系恒星形成区域的恒星形成速率和气体含量与螺旋星系和星暴星系的空间分辨区域的恒星形成和气体含量，为解释外部星系中恒星形成和气体含量的研究提供基础。该研究员将通过对银河系低质量和高质量恒星形成区域的详细研究，以及对附近富含气体的螺旋星系和星暴/相互作用星系的空间分辨多波长观测，探索分子气体转化为恒星的速度。目前可用的观测光度和星系光谱调查很好地匹配了从单个年轻恒星物体（YSOs）到它们在银河系中母分子云的性质的恒星形成。研究员将建立银河系恒星形成区域的统计样本，通过将银河系源目录与由CO追踪的分子云目录相关联。由于星系外研究经常使用CO图来追踪星系中分子气体质量的总量，比较银河系云和相关的yso中的CO将测试CO作为星系中分子气体总量示踪剂的有效性。这个项目更广泛的影响包括一个重要的教育组成部分。该研究员将与夏洛茨维尔的皮埃蒙特弗吉尼亚社区学院（PVCC）合作开展一项教育推广计划。该项目的重点是通过寻找PVCC不同的学生群体来填补K到12年级和4年制大学外展项目之间的空白。该研究员将为PVCC中代表性不足的学生启动一个指导计划。该研究员将在PVCC举办“天文科学之夜”，寻找潜在的导师，向PVCC学生介绍弗吉尼亚大学和NRAO的年轻科学家所做的工作，并鼓励他们对科学的兴趣。这个指导计划的主要目标是帮助对科学感兴趣的少数学生攻读学士学位和更高学位。鼓励PVCC的少数民族学生过渡到四年制学院或大学将有助于这些机构的学生群体多样化，并加强更多第一代大学生和少数民族学生追求更高学位和科学职业的可能性。

Dr. Amanda Heiderman is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at the University of Virginia and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. The Fellow's project will provide a foundation for interpreting studies of star formation and gas content in external galaxies by directly comparing the star formation rate and gas content in Milky Way star forming regions to spatially resolved regions in spiral and starburst galaxies.The Fellow will explore the rate at which molecular gas is converted into stars through detailed studies of Galactic low and high mass star forming regions as well as spatially resolved multi-wavelength observations of gas-rich nearby spiral and starburst/interacting galaxies. The current availability of observational photometric and spectroscopic Galactic surveys is well matched to study star formation from individual young stellar objects (YSOs) to properties of their parent molecular clouds in the Milky Way. The Fellow will build a statistical sample of star forming regions in the Milky Way by associating Galactic source catalogs with catalogs of molecular clouds as traced by CO. Since extragalactic studies often utilize CO maps to trace the total amount of molecular gas mass in a galaxy, comparing CO in Galactic clouds and associated YSOs will test the efficacy of CO as a tracer of total amount of molecular gas in galaxies. The broader impacts of this project include a significant educational component. The fellow will undertake a program of educational outreach in partnership with Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) in Charlottesville. The project focuses on filling in the gap between K through 12 and 4-year college outreach programs by seeking the diverse student population at PVCC. The Fellow will begin a mentoring program for underrepresented students at PVCC. The Fellow will hold an "Astronomy Science Night" at PVCC to find potential mentees that will highlight the work done by young scientists at UVa and NRAO to PVCC students and encourage their interest in science. The main goal of this mentoring program will be to help underrepresented students interested in science to pursue Bachelor's and higher degrees. Encouraging minority students at PVCC to transition to a 4-year college or university will help diversify the student body at these institutions and strengthen the likelihood that more first generation college and ethnic minority students will pursue higher degrees and careers in science.