CAREER: Education and Discovery in Astrophysics with Gravitational Waves

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After decades of research and development, the search for gravitational waves has finally succeeded, and their detection has forever changed the field of astronomy. The LIGO and Virgo observatories detected at least one binary neutron star merger and ten binary black hole mergers by the end of their second observing run, and well over 50 more compact binary mergers in their third observing run. While these detections have already validated the theory of general relativity at new extremes, enabled novel cosmological measurements, and greatly advanced our understanding of compact objects, we have only scratched the surface of what these detectors will teach us. This project seeks to develop scalable models capable of extracting new physical insights from these observations as the compact binary catalog continues to grow, and to leverage the exciting science underpinning gravitational wave astronomy to build project-based activities for K-12 classrooms that tie physics concepts throughout the curriculum to relevant aspects of gravitational wave astronomy. As detector sensitivities improve, not only do the boundaries of the observed compact binary parameter space continue to be pushed, but the observed parameter space continues to be filled in, resolving the distribution of compact binaries with increasing detail and allowing for deeper understanding of the astrophysical mechanisms critical to their formation. With the compact binary catalog approaching one hundred events by the end of the third observing run, and possibly one thousand in the next several years, scalable semi-parametric models will be developed that will form the basis of the next generation of population modeling tools capable of extracting the wealth of information this growing catalog will provide. In parallel a multi-phase approach will be taken to the development of project-based activities for K-12 classrooms. The PI will work with a high school teacher partner to develop the core activities of the project, which will be supported by an annual interactive virtual field trip to LIGO. Subsequently, the PI will facilitate the training of 10 or more area teachers recruited from high-need schools in lesson implementation. Metrics will be developed to assess the effectiveness of the activities, and a panel of external education consultants will be convened to provide additional feedback on the activities' effectiveness.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.