The CSUF-led partnership for inclusion of underrepresented groups in gravitational-wave astronomy

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A research and education pathway program is awarded with the core mission to significantly increase the number of students from underrepresented groups, in particular Hispanic and Latino/a students, with post-baccalaureate degrees in gravitational-wave astrophysics. This program will substantially strengthen an existing collaboration between California State University Fullerton (CSUF), a primarily undergraduate Hispanic-Serving Institution, and three Ph.D.-granting partners: Syracuse University, Northwestern University, and Washington State University (WSU). This program will develop a clear pathway for CSUF students to enter the Ph.D. program at one of the partner universities, including financial and academic support as they transition, thereby providing students with a long-term road map for their STEM careers. It will further ensure that admitted students complete the Ph.D. degree and facilitate their becoming leaders in gravitational-wave astrophysics by providing sustained mentoring and actively fostering partnership opportunities.Almost a century after Einstein first predicted their existence, scientists discovered gravitational waves— ripples of curved spacetime—passing through Earth, igniting the era of gravitational-wave astronomy. Gravitational waves are a radically new tool for exploring the universe and probing the physics driving some of the most extreme astrophysical events in ways inaccessible to other forms of astronomy. The U.S. Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) will soon take its next science data, and future observatories (such as Cosmic Explorer, LIGO Voyager, and the Einstein Telescope) have the promise to extend our gravitational-wave astronomical reach to the edge of the universe and to new frequency bands, bringing an even greater potential for transformative astronomical discoveries. Student researchers at CSUF, Syracuse, Northwestern, and WSU will contribute to these discoveries through experimental work to help maximize gravitational-wave observatories’ astronomical reach and theoretical and computational work to model and interpret gravitational-wave sources. This award advances the goals of the Windows on the Universe Big Idea.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.