REU Site: Undergraduate Astrophysics Research in Appalachia

该项目每年将为八名天文学和物理学领域的本科生提供研究经验。该项目是对现有本科生研究体验网站的更新，该网站将为来自大阿巴拉契亚地区的学生提供服务。学生将有机会学习射电天文学和引力波物理学的各个方面，并有机会获得西弗吉尼亚大学的研究导师和格林班克天文台的访问。在为期十周的体验中，学生还将获得广泛的专业发展指导。提供给学生的研究机会包括研究星际介质、超大质量黑洞双星、快速射电暴、脉冲星、星系吸积和太阳。引力波天文学的研究尤其及时，该机构有五名教职员工参与了他们的研究。学生们将参加为期两天的绿岸天文台静修活动，并有机会从天文台获取原始天文数据。他们将在专业准备、公开演讲、专业互动和科学交流方面受到指导。该项目由天文科学部（AST）、刺激竞争性研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）和国防部与NSF REU计划合作共同资助。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

This project will support research experiences for eight undergraduate students per year in the areas of astronomy and physics. The project is a renewal of an existing Research Experiences for Undergraduates site which will serve students from the greater Appalachia area. Students will have the opportunity to study aspects of radio astronomy and gravitational wave physics, with access to research mentors at West Virginia University and access to the Green Bank Observatory. Students will also receive extensive professional development mentoring over the ten week period of the experience. The research opportunities available to the students include studies of the interstellar medium, supermassive black hole binaries, fast radio bursts, pulsars, galactic accretion, and the Sun. The research in gravitational wave astronomy is especially timely, and the institution has five faculty members involved in their study. Students will all participate in a two-day retreat to Green Bank Observatory for an opportunity to take original astronomical data from the observatory. They will be mentored in professional preparation, public speaking, professional interactions, and scientific communication.This project is jointly funded by the Division of Astronomical Sciences (AST), the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), and the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU 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.