CAREER: Navigating the Environments of the Universe’s Fastest Transients

Fong博士和她的团队将描述短持续时间伽马射线爆发（SGRB）和快速射电爆发（FRB）的宿主星系特性。SGRB起源于中子星星合并。FRB的起源尚不清楚，但它们可能是由高度磁化的年轻中子星（称为磁星）产生的。这两个人口的宿主星系环境的统一分析将提供这些瞬态源的性质的关键见解。方博士和她的团队将领导蓬勃发展计划，这是西北大学和运动咨询之间的一个新的教育伙伴关系。每月将举办研讨会，以发展对STEM感兴趣的女性和代表性不足的少数民族（f-URM）本科生的专业技能，并为芝加哥地区f-URM研究生提供领导力会议。该项目将分别为SGRB和FRB增加3倍和8倍的宿主星系属性目录。大约103个FRB和65个SGRB宿主星系的观测数据、衍生星系属性和相关模型将在定制的存储库和GitHub上公开提供。该方案预计将达到约150名本科生和200名研究生。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得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来支持。

Dr. Fong and her group will characterize the host galaxy properties of short duration gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) and fast radio bursts (FRBs). SGRBs originate from neutron star mergers. The origin of FRBs is unknown, but they may be generated by highly magnetized young neutron stars, called magnetars. A uniform analysis of the host galaxy environments of these two populations will provide key insights into the nature of these transient sources. Dr. Fong and her group will lead the Thrive Program, which is a new educational partnership between Northwestern University and Movement Consulting. Monthly workshops will be held to develop the professional skills of female and under-represented minority (f-URM) undergraduate students interested in STEM, and a Leadership Conference will be offered to Chicago area f-URM graduate students.This project will increase the catalog of host galaxy properties by factors of 3 and 8 for SGRBs and FRBs, respectively. The observational data, the derived galaxy properties and the associated models for the approximately, 103 FRB and 65 SGRB host galaxies will be made publicly available in tailored repositories and on GitHub. The Thrive Program is expected to reach approximately, 150 undergraduates and 200 graduate students. The Thrive program products will be made available online to promote scalability and sustainability.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.