ENCANTO: Enhancing and Nurturing Careers in Astronomy with New Training Opportunities

加强和培养天文学职业与新的培训机会（ENCANTO）是一个伙伴关系，以增加来自波多黎各和中央佛罗里达谁在天文学和行星物理学成功的代表性不足的群体的学生人数。它将涉及一个激烈的研究和教育计划，并提供有关未来研究生课程的指导。合作伙伴是阿雷西博天文台和三所少数民族服务大学-波多黎各大学、中佛罗里达大学和波多黎各美洲大学。 通过ENCANTO提供的机会将包括广泛的研究和仪器项目的选择，并有机会与大学教授和AO科学家在一个项目上工作一年，通过访问绿色银行天文台接触另一个主要的研究设施，并有机会出席该领域的专业会议。学生将参加切割-利用天文台的观测设施和档案数据进行边缘研究。被选中的高年级本科生将使用12米望远镜和AO档案数据从广泛的科学主题中选择一个研究项目。 12米望远镜项目中的两个项目涉及多信使天体物理学：对明亮的毫秒脉冲星进行计时，以探测和确定超大质量黑洞双星和原始随机背景产生的nHz引力波的特征;进行甚长基线干涉测量研究，对活动星系核双星进行成像，并通过脉冲星计时阵列预测其演变和引力波的可探测性。其他项目包括红矮星系外行星的可居住性，银河CH和前生物分子的调查，以及太阳爆发和日冕物质抛射传播的研究。仪器项目包括新太阳雷达的建模/模拟和升级e-Callisto太阳光谱仪。 ENCANTO的合作伙伴在指导不同背景的学生方面具有丰富的经验，能够很好地改善少数民族获得天文学研究的机会。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Enhancing and Nurturing Careers in Astronomy with New Training Opportunities (ENCANTO) is a partnership to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups from Puerto Rico and Central Florida who succeed in astronomy and planetary physics. It will involve an intense research and educational program and provide guidance regarding future graduate programs. The partners are Arecibo Observatory (AO), and three Minority Serving universities - the University of Puerto Rico, the University of Central Florida (UCF) and the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico. Opportunities provided through ENCANTO will include a wide choice of research and instrumentation projects, and the opportunity to work year-long on a project with a university professor and an AO scientist, exposure to another major research facility through a visit to Green Bank Observatory, and the chance to present at a professional conference in the field.Students will participate in cutting-edge research using the observing facilities and archival data at AO. Selected senior undergraduates will each choose a research project from a wide range of science topics using the 12-m telescope and AO archival data. Two of the 12-m telescope projects represent multi-messenger astrophysics: timing bright millisecond pulsars to detect and characterize nHz gravitational waves from supermassive black hole binaries and the primordial stochastic background; and very-long-baseline interferometry studies to image binary active galactic nuclei and predict their evolution and gravitational wave detectability via a pulsar timing array. Other projects include habitability of red-dwarf exoplanets, surveys of Galactic CH and prebiotic molecules, and studies of solar bursts and coronal mass ejection propagation. Instrumentation projects include modeling/simulation of a new solar radar and upgrading the e-Callisto solar spectrograph. The ENCANTO partners are well-qualified for improving minority access to astronomical research, given their expertise in mentoring students from diverse backgrounds.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.