NRT-WoU: Research Training Opportunities in the Nascent Field of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics

NRT-WoU：多信使天体物理学新兴领域的研究培训机会

• 批准号: 1922512
• 负责人: Vuk Mandic
• 金额: $ 299.97万
• 依托单位: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-09-01 至 2025-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1922512&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NRT; WoU; Research; Training; Opportunities

On August 17, 2017, a collision of two neutron stars was observed both by gravitational-wave detectors and by traditional telescopes. This first simultaneous observation of an astrophysical event by the two "messengers" (gravitational waves and light) has had broad scientific implications, ranging from tests of fundamental physical laws and expansion of the universe to the understanding of the origin of the heaviest elements in the periodic table. The event ushered in a new field, Multi-Messenger Astrophysics, with the potential to transform how researchers observe and understand the universe. In the coming years, vast amounts of new data are expected from existing and upcoming gravitational wave detectors, telescopes, gamma ray detectors, and neutrino detectors. The size, complexity, and diversity of the new datasets will be unlike anything seen in Astrophysics. This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities will facilitate the management, processing, and analysis of these datasets by training MS and PhD students in modern data science techniques. The NRT will use the nascent field of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics as a training ground to prepare students for the challenges of the modern data-driven workforce in both industry and academia. This project anticipates training fifty (50) MS and PhD students, including thirty (30) funded trainees, from the fields of astrophysics, computer science, electrical engineering, physics and statistics. In addition, approximately eighty (80) graduate students are anticipated to participate in aspects of the technical, research, and professional training provided by the project.The trainees will pursue unique research opportunities by working in interdisciplinary trainee teams, mentored by interdisciplinary faculty mentoring teams. They will use the most modern data analytics techniques, such as machine learning, deep learning, Bayesian inference and others, to address some of the pressing questions in Multi-Messenger Astrophysics. Their training will include a series of workshops, seminars, symposia, journal club, outreach activities, and fall retreats designed to provide trainees with a broader exposure to data science techniques, tools, and applications, and with opportunities for development of professional communications and leadership skills, and career development, vision, and impact skills. The trainees will pursue summer research and industry internships with local and national companies and research organizations. A series of activities will be pursued to ensure full participation of underrepresented minorities and women and to develop a strong community around this program that will provide a supportive structure for the trainees, helping them move through the program efficiently and presenting them with career opportunities post-graduation. The best practices developed by this program will be publicly available for adoption by other STEM graduate programs across the nation. The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new potentially transformative models for STEM graduate education training. The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas through comprehensive traineeship models that are innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.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.

2017年8月17日，引力波探测器和传统望远镜都观测到了两颗中子星的碰撞。这两个“信使”(引力波和光)对天体物理事件的首次同时观测具有广泛的科学意义，从测试基本物理定律和宇宙膨胀到理解元素周期表中最重元素的起源。这一事件开启了一个新的领域--多信使天体物理学，有可能改变研究人员观察和理解宇宙的方式。在接下来的几年里，预计现有的和即将到来的引力波探测器、望远镜、伽马射线探测器和中微子探测器将提供大量新数据。新数据集的大小、复杂性和多样性将不同于天体物理学中看到的任何东西。这项授予明尼苏达双城大学的国家科学基金会研究培训(NRT)奖将通过培训MS和博士生掌握现代数据科学技术来促进这些数据集的管理、处理和分析。NRT将利用新兴的多信使天体物理学领域作为培训基地，让学生们做好准备，迎接工业界和学术界现代数据驱动型劳动力的挑战。该项目预计将培训50(50)名MS和博士生，其中包括来自天体物理、计算机科学、电气工程、物理和统计学领域的30(30)名资助学员。此外，约80名研究生预计将参与该项目提供的技术、研究和专业培训。学员将通过在跨学科受训人员团队中工作来寻求独特的研究机会，并由跨学科教师指导团队进行指导。他们将使用最现代的数据分析技术，如机器学习、深度学习、贝叶斯推理等，来解决多信使天体物理学中的一些紧迫问题。他们的培训将包括一系列研讨会、研讨会、座谈会、期刊俱乐部、外展活动和秋季务虚会，旨在为学员提供更广泛的接触数据科学技术、工具和应用程序的机会，并提供发展专业沟通和领导技能、职业发展、愿景和影响技能的机会。学员将在当地和国家的公司和研究机构进行暑期研究和行业实习。将开展一系列活动，确保代表性不足的少数群体和妇女充分参与，并围绕这一方案发展一个强大的社区，为受训人员提供一个支持性结构，帮助他们有效地完成该方案，并在毕业后为他们提供就业机会。该项目开发的最佳实践将公开提供给全国其他STEM研究生项目采用。NSF研究培训(NRT)计划旨在鼓励开发和实施大胆的、具有潜在变革意义的STEM研究生教育培训模式。该计划致力于通过创新的、基于证据的、与不断变化的劳动力和研究需求保持一致的综合实习生模式，在高度优先的跨学科或趋同研究领域对STEM研究生进行有效培训。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。