REU Site: Preparing a Diverse Workforce through Interdisciplinary Astrophysics Research

该奖项是为了重新资助西北大学（NU）天体物理学跨学科探索和研究中心（CIERA）的REU网站。REU网站利用CIERA的跨学科性质，为学生提供跨部门的导师，并深入了解天文学和天体物理学以及其他STEM学科之间的跨部门联系。该计划每年向8名学生提供。可用的导师来自以下部门：物理和天文学;应用数学;地球和行星科学;电气工程和计算机科学。现有的研究项目涵盖了天文学的主题和方法，包括理论，计算，仪器和实验。学生将有机会获得广泛的尖端设施，包括仪器实验室和探索高性能计算设施在NU。通过这种接触，REU学生将学习天文学研究如何为他们提供广泛的技能，并引导他们走向不同的专业道路。NU CIERA的REU网站为学生提供跨学科天文学研究的经验，使他们接触到天体物理学中各种令人兴奋的研究领域，并在学生和NU研究人员之间建立了一个社区。该网站通过与芝加哥地区少数民族服务机构合作，从STEM中代表性不足的群体中招募了相当一部分参与者。通过高质量的研究经验和专业发展活动，NU CIERA REU网站将有助于发展多元化，复杂的，具有高度竞争力的STEM劳动力。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

This award is for renewed funding of the REU Site at Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) at Northwestern University (NU). The REU site takes advantage of CIERA's interdisciplinary nature, providing students with access to mentors across departments, and insight into the cross-departmental connections between astronomy and astrophysics and other STEM disciplines. The program will be offered annually to 8 students. The available mentors come from the departments of: Physics and Astronomy; Applied Math; Earth and Planetary Science; and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Available research projects cover astronomical topics and methods ranging across theory, computation, instrumentation, and experimentation. The students will have access to a wide range of cutting-edge facilities, including instrument labs and the Quest high performance computing facility at NU. Through this exposure, the REU students will learn how astronomical studies prepare them with a wide range of skills and can lead them to diverse professional paths. NU CIERA's REU site gives students the experience of doing interdisciplinary astronomical research, exposes them to a wide array of exciting research areas in astrophysics, and builds a community among the students and NU researchers. The Site recruits a significant fraction of its participants from underrepresented groups in STEM by partnering with Chicago-area minority serving institutions. Through high-quality research experiences and profesional development activities, the NU CIERA REU Site will contribute to the development of a diverse, sophisticated, and highly competitive STEM workforce.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.