Collaborative Research: Unearthing the Young Stars in Aquila

天文学的一个主要目标是了解恒星形成的必要条件。恒星开始它们的生命是在巨大的尘埃气体云中开始的。猎户座星云就是这种星云的一个壮观的例子，其中有许多恒星正在形成。一个特别有趣的星星形成区域是天鹰座裂谷，一个巨大的黑暗气体云。裂谷很重要，因为没有其他星云如此巨大，而且可能富含年轻恒星，离太阳如此之近。几十年来，天文学家一直对裂谷中缺乏年轻恒星感到困惑，因为它含有足够形成大约10万个太阳的气体。然而，在大裂谷中，只有少数几颗年轻的恒星被发现。 找到恒星形成证据的一种方法是寻找赫比格-哈罗（HH）天体--由年轻恒星产生的独特的气体喷流。一种新的方法已经被证明是成功的，在裂谷中发现了几十个新的HH物体，其中许多是在以前从未见过的地方。他们的发现表明，在裂谷中形成的恒星比以前想象的要多得多。该项目的目标是完成对裂谷的全面调查，以更好地了解其云层内星星形成的程度。这项调查将使用“暗能量”相机（DECam）上的布兰科4米望远镜在塞罗托洛洛美洲天文台，这是由美国国家科学基金会的NOIRLab。这是世界上唯一一台可以进行这种搜索的望远镜。Rector博士将把对裂谷中HH天体的搜索开发成“本科生研究经验课程”（CURE）。CURE是一种成熟的教学模式，它通过给入门级本科生一个用真实的数据进行真实研究的机会，将科学研究与教育结合起来。其目标有三个：（1）教导科学是一个发现的过程，而不仅仅是一个知识体系，（2）改善对科学和STEM职业的态度，（3）培养批判性思维，团队合作和目标驱动的工作技能，这在任何职业中都很重要。 普拉托博士还将指导她的本科生，并参加外联活动，特别是作为一个榜样，妇女在科学和女孩有兴趣追求科学作为一种职业。普拉托积极指导专业初级妇女在洛厄尔和NAU。此外，普拉托正在为一个专业发展讲习班编制课程，目的是向高年级本科生和职业生涯初期的研究生提供通常不在课堂上讲授的那种重要的专业咨询意见。普拉托还领导了一项重大努力，为资源不足社区的高中生提供信息和资源，以进行中等STEM教育。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并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，被认为值得支持。

A major goal in astronomy is to understand the conditions necessary to form stars. Stars begin their lives in giant, dusty clouds of gas. The Orion Nebula is a spectacular example of such a cloud in which many stars are forming. A particularly interesting star forming region is the Aquila Rift, a massive expanse of dark gas clouds. The Rift is important because no other nebula so large and potentially rich in young stars lies this close to the Sun. For many decades astronomers have been puzzled by the lack of young stars in the Rift because it contains enough gas to form about a hundred thousand Suns. Yet only a few young stars had been identified in the Rift. One way to find evidence of forming stars is to look for Herbig-Haro (HH) objects- distinct jets of gas that are produced by young stars. A new method has proven successful in finding several dozen new HH objects in the Rift, many in places where none had been seen before. Their discovery shows that many more stars are forming in the Rift than previously thought. The goal of this project is to complete a comprehensive survey of the Rift to better understand the extent of star formation within its clouds. The survey will use the "Dark Energy" Camera (DECam) on the Blanco 4-meter telescope at the Cerro Tololo Interamerican observatory, which is operated by NSF's NOIRLab. It is the only telescope in the world that can do this search.This search for HH objects in the Rift will be developed by Dr. Rector into a "Curriculum for Undergraduate Research Experience" (CURE). CUREs are an established instructional model that integrates scientific research with education by giving introductory-level undergraduate students an opportunity to do authentic research with real data. Its goals are threefold: (1) to teach that science is a process of discovery, not just a body of knowledge, (2) to improve attitudes towards science and STEM careers, and (3) to develop critical thinking, teamwork and goal-driven work skills important in any career. Dr. Prato will also mentor her undergraduate students and participate in outreach activities, particularly as a role model to women in science and to girls interested in pursuing science as a career. Prato actively mentors professional junior women at Lowell and NAU. Furthermore, Prato is developing a curriculum for a professional development workshop aimed at providing advanced undergraduates and early-career graduate students with critical professional advice of the type that is not typically taught in class. Prato is also leading a major effort to provide information and resources for high school students in under-resourced communities to pursue secondary STEM education.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.