The Cycle of Gas and Stars: Connecting Molecular Clouds to Galaxies

克里斯托弗·法西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，负责马萨诸塞大学阿默斯特分校的研究和教育项目。FESI将进行一项广泛的观测计划，以研究巨型分子云(GMC)-恒星的诞生地--在附近星系的大样本中。研究GMC的性质如何随星系内的环境条件变化，将使天文学家了解这些条件如何影响恒星的形成。除了这项研究，法西还将制定一系列教案，将现代天文研究引入本科生课堂。FESI将在一系列环境中测量GMC的性质，并开发方法来校准附近星系中GMC尺度的恒星形成率。这将使人们更好地了解恒星和星系中星际气体之间的全球关系。对于他工作的教育部分，法西将制定一个计划，通过实施包含最近研究文章的可消化摘要的课程计划，让本科生接触到天文研究，他将评估这种接触如何影响学生对科学的保留、兴趣和成功。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Christopher Faesi is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct a program of research and education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Faesi will undertake an extensive observational program to study Giant Molecular Clouds (GMCs)---the birthplaces of stars---in a large sample of nearby galaxies. Studying how the properties of GMCs change with the environmental conditions within galaxies will allow astronomers to understand how those conditions influence star formation. Alongside this research, Faesi will develop a series of lesson plans to introduce modern astronomical research into undergraduate classrooms. Faesi will measure GMC properties across a range of environments and develop methods to calibrate star formation rates at GMC scales in nearby galaxies. This will allow a better understanding of the global relationship between stars and interstellar gas in galaxies. For the educational component of his work, Faesi will develop a program to expose undergraduate students to astronomical research by implementing lesson plans involving digestible summaries of recent research articles, and he will assess how this exposure affects student retention, interest, and success in science.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.