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

方博士和她的团队将描述宿主星系的短时伽马射线暴(SGRb)和快速射电暴(FRb)的特性。SGRBs起源于中子星合并。FRB的起源尚不清楚，但它们可能是由被称为磁星的高度磁化的年轻中子星产生的。对这两个群体的宿主星系环境进行统一分析，将为了解这些瞬变源的性质提供关键的见解。方博士和她的团队将领导欣欣向荣项目，这是西北大学和运动咨询公司之间的一个新的教育合作伙伴关系。每月将举办讲习班，培养对STEM感兴趣的女性和代表不足的少数族裔(f-URM)本科生的专业技能，并将为芝加哥地区的f-URM研究生举办领导力会议。该项目将使SGRBs和FRBs的宿主星系属性目录分别增加3倍和8倍。约103个FRB和65个SGRB宿主星系的观测数据、导出的星系属性和相关模型将在定制的资料库和GitHub上公开提供。Thrive计划预计将覆盖大约150名本科生和200名研究生。Thrive计划的产品将在网上提供，以促进可伸缩性和可持续发展。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。

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.