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

阿曼达海德曼博士被授予NSF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计划。 该研究员的项目将通过直接比较银河系星星形成区的星星形成率和气体含量与螺旋星系和星暴星系中空间分辨区域的情况，为解释星系外星星形成和气体含量的研究奠定基础。该研究员将通过详细研究银河系低质量和高质量星星形成区以及空间分辨多波长观测富含气体的邻近螺旋星系和星暴/相互作用星系。 目前可用的观测光度和光谱银河系调查是很好的匹配，研究星星的形成，从个别年轻恒星物体（YSO）的性质，他们的父母在银河系分子云。 研究员将建立一个统计样本的星星形成地区在银河系的星系源目录与目录的分子云跟踪CO。由于河外的研究往往利用CO地图跟踪的总数量的分子气体质量在一个星系，比较CO在银河系云和相关的YSO将测试CO的有效性作为示踪剂的总数量的分子气体在星系中。 该项目的更广泛影响包括一个重要的教育部分。 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在PVCC寻求多样化的学生群体，填补K到12和4年制大学外展计划之间的差距。 该研究员将开始在PVCC的代表性不足的学生辅导计划。 该研究员将在PVCC举办“天文学科学之夜”，以寻找潜在的学员，这些学员将突出UVa和NRAO的年轻科学家向PVCC学生所做的工作，并鼓励他们对科学的兴趣。 这个指导计划的主要目标将是帮助对科学感兴趣的代表性不足的学生攻读学士学位和更高的学位。 鼓励PVCC的少数民族学生过渡到4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.