Observational Studies of Fast Radio Bursts and Technosignatures with the Allen Telescope Array

索菲亚·谢赫被授予数学和物理科学提升博士后研究奖学金(MPS-Ascend)，以在加利福尼亚州山景城的外星智能搜索(SETI)研究所开展一项研究和教育计划。谢赫博士将改进抑制射频干扰(RFI)的相干成像方法，并使用改进后的成像来表征快速射电暴(FRB)。她将努力为天文学专业中代表性不足的少数族裔本科生扩大多样性和包容性方面的经验。谢赫博士计划利用SETI的艾伦望远镜阵列(ATA)的独特品质开展三项研究活动。第一个是硬件和软件开发项目，以增加ATA的后端相干成像能力。她将使用这些新能力来定位和表征FRB，这是以前用其他射电望远镜探测到的。她的第三个目标是通过对反太阳点的无线电观测来寻找外星智慧生命的迹象，定义天空中一个特殊的空间和时间，远方的观察者将从这个空间和时间看到太阳凌日期间的地球。所有这三项活动都依赖于实施新的战略和推进参数空间的新区域(即，更高的频率，新的天空区域)。谢赫博士试图提高科学和工程领域中代表性不足的学者的留存率。她的方法是指导这些学生，明确教授学术成功的潜规则，帮助他们建立强大的专业网络，并提供介绍性研究经验。她将加强SETI研究所的现有项目。这一奖项反映了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。

Sofia Sheikh is awarded a Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (MPS-Ascend) to conduct a program of research and education at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, Mountainview, California. Dr. Sheikh will improve coherent imaging methods for rejection of radio frequency interference (RFI) and use the improved imaging for characterization of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs). She will work to broaden experience in Diversity and Inclusion for underrepresented minority undergraduate students in astronomy. Dr. Sheikh plans three research activities using the unique qualities of SETI's Allen Telescope Array (ATA). The first is a hardware and software development project to increase the backend coherent imaging capabilities of the ATA. She will use these new capabilities to localize and characterize FRBs, which have previously been detected with other radio telescopes. Her third goal is searching for signs of Extraterrestrial intelligent life by radio observations of the anti-solar point, defining a special space and time on the sky from which a distant observer would see Earth in transit of the Sun. All three activities rely on implementing novel strategies and pushing into new regions of parameter space (i.e., higher frequencies, new regions of the sky). Dr. Sheikh seeks to improve the retention rate of underrepresented scholars in science and engineering fields. Her approach is mentoring these students and explicitly teaching the unspoken rules of academic success, helping them build strong professional networks, and provide introductory research experiences. She will enhance existing programs at the SETI Institute.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.