Collaborative Research: Building a Team for EXtragalactic AStrophysics (TEXAS) in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex

该奖项由《2021年美国救援计划法案》(公法117-2)提供全部资金。新伙伴关系的基础将建立在北德克萨斯大学和德克萨斯大学达拉斯分校之间。北德克萨斯大学是一所R1少数民族服务机构/西班牙裔服务机构。在这一试点阶段，该团队将建立一个毕业后桥牌项目，并组织每月座谈会和年度座谈会，以扩大未被充分代表的群体对天文学的参与。学院将继续开展外展活动，旨在鼓励和激励代表性不足和在社会经济上处于不利地位的儿童和学生攻读天文学和STEM学位。该团队将每年为两名代表性不足的毕业后桥牌研究员提供研究、教育和职业发展机会，每个院校一名。该团队将主要从达拉斯沃斯堡地区招募桥牌研究员，那里的许多大学都是为少数族裔服务的。这些研究员将在河外天体物理学方面进行令人兴奋的研究。他们将由中小学教师顾问和一名研究生仔细指导。为了更好地为研究生院做准备，桥牌研究员将有机会在每学期上一门天体物理学的本科生或研究生课程。他们的研究生院申请将得到帮助。桥牌研究员将定期和非正式地与德克萨斯州所有教师会面，讨论他们在项目开始时制定的个人发展计划。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。

This award is funded in whole under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). The foundations of a new partnership will be established between the University of North Texas, an R1 Minority-Serving Institution / Hispanic-Serving Institution, and the University of Texas at Dallas. During this pilot phase, the team will establish a post-baccalaureate bridge program and organize monthly colloquia and annual symposia to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in astronomy. Faculty will continue to develop outreach activities aimed at encouraging and inspiring underrepresented and socio-economically disadvantaged children and students to pursue degrees in astronomy and STEM.The team will provide research, education, and career development opportunities for two underrepresented post-baccalaureate bridge fellows per year, one at each institution. The team will mainly recruit bridge fellows from the Dallas Fort Worth area, where many colleges are minority-serving. The fellows will carry out exciting research in extragalactic astrophysics. They will be carefully mentored by primary and secondary faculty advisors and a graduate student. To better prepare for graduate school, the bridge fellows will have the opportunity to take one undergraduate or graduate class in astrophysics per semester. They will be assisted with their applications to graduate school. The bridge fellows will meet regularly and informally with all the TEXAS faculty to discuss their individual development plans, drawn up at the start of the program.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.