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

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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.