REU Site: Gravitational-Wave Science in the LIGO Project

该奖项支持与加州理工学院激光干涉仪引力波天文台（LIGO）项目相关的现有本科生研究经验（REU）现场计划的更新。该项目将支持13名本科生每年夏季进行为期10周的夏季研究。LIGO为本科生提供了一个独特而令人兴奋的机会，让他们能够参与打开一个全新的宇宙观测窗口，使用和开发具有前所未有精度的探测器。REU参与者与LIGO科学家密切合作，开展涉及探测器技术、数据分析和源建模等多个方面的项目。每个学生都通过在夏季之前准备项目提案，进度报告以及在夏季结束时的专业质量演示和报告来培养科学写作和沟通技能。 LIGO REU计划为本科生提供了在精密计量学，强场引力和观测天体物理学前沿的有益研究经验，他们为重大科学工作做出了真实的和持久的贡献。学生与来自LIGO实验室，加州理工学院理论天体物理学和全球LIGO科学合作组织的专业科学家合作并接受指导，并直接了解大型项目的组织和运作方式。他们获得适用于广泛技术职业的新技能，涉及光学，激光，电子，伺服控制，机械系统，数据分析，数值相对论，天体物理源建模，软件开发，高吞吐量计算和相关技术。他们受益于完善的实验室基础设施、高通量计算的可用性、文件控制、安全和安保程序以及行政支持。这个夏天的一个亮点是LIGO天文台之旅。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award supports the renewal of the existing Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site program associated with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) project at Caltech. The project will support thirteen undergraduate students for ten weeks of summer research per summer. LIGO provides a unique and exciting opportunity for undergraduate students to participate in the opening of an entirely new observational window on the Universe using and developing detectors with unprecedented precision. REU participants work closely with individual LIGO scientists on projects involving many aspects of detector technology, data analysis, and source modeling. Every student develops skills in scientific writing and communication, through preparation of a project proposal prior to the summer, progress reports, and a professional-quality presentation and report at the end of the summer. The LIGO REU program provides undergraduate students with a rewarding research experience at the frontiers of precision metrology, strong-field gravity, and observational astrophysics in which they make real and lasting contributions to a major scientific effort. Students work with and are mentored by professional scientists from LIGO Laboratory, Caltech theoretical astrophysics, and the global LIGO Scientific Collaboration and learn first-hand how large projects are organized and operate. They acquire new skills that are applicable in a broad range of technical careers, involving optics, lasers, electronics, servo controls, mechanical systems, data analysis, numerical relativity, astrophysical source modeling, software development, high throughput computing, and related technologies. They benefit from a well-established laboratory infrastructure, the availability of high-throughput computing, document control, safety and security procedures, and administrative support. A highlight of the summer is a trip to one of the LIGO Observatories.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.