Graduate Opportunities at Fisk in Astronomy and Astrophysics Research (GO-FAAR)

菲斯克天文学和天体物理学研究研究生机会（GO-FAAR）

• 批准号: 1358862
• 负责人: Kelly Holley-Bockelmann
• 金额: $ 220万
• 依托单位: Fisk University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-08-01 至 2020-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1358862&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Graduate; Opportunities; Fisk; Astronomy; Astrophysics

The underrepresentation of minorities in STEM fields is one of the major challenges facing the United States workforce. Although underrepresented minorities (URMs) make up approximately 30% of the U.S. population, this cohort accounts for only 4 percent of astronomy Ph.D.s awarded in the U.S., as well as just 3 percent of faculty members. Indeed, an average Ph.D. granting program in astronomy will graduate fewer than 1 URM Ph.D. recipient per decade. Recognizing this problem, the ?New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics? Decadal Survey, published by the National Academies, noted that a promising way to address this problem is to encourage strategic partnerships between minority-serving institutions and research universities, national centers, and national laboratories. This award will provide continued support of the GO-FAAR partnership between Fisk University and Vanderbilt University, which is a pathway to the Ph.D. that substantially broadens the participation of underrepresented minorities in astronomy. The principal component of GO-FAAR is the extraordinarily successful Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters-to-Ph.D. Bridge program. Fisk students establish one-on-one relationships with faculty at Vanderbilt, engage in substantial astronomy research projects, and many ultimately end up pursuing Ph.D. programs at Vanderbilt. The program has been particularly effective to date, becoming the top producer of URM Ph.D.s in astronomy and astrophysics in the country.This renewal award will institutionalize the program at Fisk and Vanderbilt, and establish its methods as a national model. NSF funding will support the following key objectives:(1) To fully institutionalize the relationship between Fisk University, Vanderbilt University, and other research partners, and to firmly embed Fisk as a major contributor to the astronomical research community;(2) To increase by 75% the number of URMs earning astronomy and astrophysics Ph.D.s in the US, to sustain this level, and to diversify the U.S. astronomy and astrophysics workforce.(3) To offer the Bridge methodology to Affiliate institutions (to be recruited nationally) through a program components 'toolkit,' training workshops, and on-going consultation and supervision. The effect of NSF funding is therefore multiplicative, since it is expected that numerous other Bridge programs will result;(4) To launch a nationally competitive postdoctoral fellowship program at Fisk, which is designed to launch URMs into faculty careers.Other research partners involved in GO-FAAR include the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center, National Solar Observatory, University of Chicago, Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, Lowell Observatory/Tennessee State University, National Academy of Sciences, American Physical Society, Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Southeastern Universities Research Association, and South African Astronomical Observatory.Support for this award is provided by (1) the Division of Astronomical Sciences Partnerships in Astronomy & Astrophysics Research and Education (PAARE) program; (2) the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities (OMA) in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences; (3) the Division of Physics Education and Interdisciplinary Research (EIR) program; and (4) the Division of Human Resource Development Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP).

少数族裔在STEM领域的代表性不足是美国劳动力面临的主要挑战之一。虽然未被充分代表的少数族裔（urm）占美国人口的30%左右，但这一群体只占美国天文学博士学位获得者的4%，也只占教职员工的3%。事实上，平均每十年，一个授予天文学博士学位的项目毕业的博士生还不到一个。认识到这个问题，？天文学和天体物理学的新世界、新视野？美国国家科学院发表的《十年调查》指出，解决这一问题的一个有希望的方法是鼓励为少数民族服务的机构与研究型大学、国家中心和国家实验室建立战略伙伴关系。该奖项将为菲斯克大学和范德比尔特大学之间的GO-FAAR伙伴关系提供持续支持，这是获得博士学位的途径，大大扩大了代表性不足的少数民族在天文学领域的参与。GO-FAAR的主要组成部分是非常成功的菲斯克-范德比尔特硕士到博士学位。桥项目。菲斯克的学生与范德比尔特大学的教师建立了一对一的关系，参与了大量的天文学研究项目，许多人最终在范德比尔特大学攻读博士学位。迄今为止，该项目一直特别有效，成为全国URM天文学和天体物理学博士学位的顶级生产者。这个更新奖将使菲斯克和范德比尔特大学的项目制度化，并将其方法建立为全国模式。NSF资金将支持以下主要目标：(1)使菲斯克大学、范德比尔特大学和其他研究伙伴之间的关系完全制度化，并牢固地将菲斯克大学作为天文研究界的主要贡献者；(2)在美国获得天文学和天体物理学博士学位的urm人数增加75%，保持这一水平，并使美国天文学和天体物理学劳动力多样化。(3)通过项目组成部分“工具包”、培训研讨会以及持续的咨询和监督，向附属机构（将在全国范围内招募）提供桥梁方法。因此，国家科学基金会资助的效果是倍增的，因为预计将产生许多其他桥梁项目；(4)在菲斯克大学启动具有全国竞争力的博士后奖学金计划，该计划旨在推动urm进入教师职业生涯。参与GO-FAAR的其他研究伙伴包括斯隆数字巡天，美国国家航空航天局（NASA）。太空飞行中心、国家太阳天文台、芝加哥大学、大型综合巡天望远镜、洛厄尔天文台/田纳西州立大学、美国国家科学院、美国物理学会、天文学大学研究协会、东南大学研究协会、南非天文台。本奖项由(1)天文科学部天文学与天体物理学研究与教育合作项目（PAARE）提供支持；(2)数学和物理科学理事会多学科活动办公室（OMA）；(3)物理教育与跨学科研究学部（EIR）项目；(4)历史悠久的黑人学院和大学人力资源开发部-本科项目（HBCU-UP）。