Volatiles in Disks Around Young Stars: Disentangling Our Origins

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。Erika Gibb博士将研究水、一氧化碳和简单的有机分子等挥发性分子是如何通过暗云的坍缩演变成原行星盘并最终融入原行星或彗星的。这一提议将支持对非常年轻的恒星周围的许多盘和封套进行高分辨率的近红外光谱研究，以辨别这些物体的化学成分。该计划的一个主要目标将是探索形成环境和观察几何形状如何影响星星形成区域中气体和尘埃的测量成分。其结果将用于测试云和盘的化学演化模型。该项目预计将对生命起源和年轻恒星演化的研究产生广泛影响，并将有助于更好地了解星际和盘化学，并将显著影响盘的化学建模。 Gibb博士和她的团队将通过教育圣路易斯大都市地区的教师，将他们的研究融入中学教育。 他们将与她所在机构的教育学院合作举办一个夏季讲习班，培训圣路易斯地区的教师有效地在课堂上使用天文学活动。这些活动将加强对科学的概念性理解，并教授科学探究的根本重要性。研讨会将通过跨学科的科学方法解决密苏里州科学等级水平的中学生期望的关键组成部分。一个类似的研讨会，重点是彗星科学，将开发由博士吉布和合作者为华盛顿，DC大都市区。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Dr. Erika Gibb will investigate how volatile molecules such as water, carbon monoxide, and simple organic molecules evolved through the collapse of a dark cloud into a protoplanetary disk and eventual incorporation into protoplanets or comets. This proposal will support a high-resolution, near-infrared spectroscopic study of numerous disks and envelopes surrounding very young stars to discern the chemical composition of these objects. A major goal of the program will be to explore how the formation environment and viewing geometry affect the measured composition of gas and dust in star forming regions. The results will be used to test models of chemical evolution of clouds and disks. This project is expected to have a broad impact on studies of origins of life and the evolution of young stars, and will contribute to a better understanding of interstellar and disk chemistry and will significantly impact chemical modeling of disks. Dr. Gibb and her team will integrate their research into secondary school education by educating teachers in the metropolitan St. Louis area. They will develop a summer workshop, in collaboration with the College of Education at her institution, to train teachers in the St. Louis area in the effective classroom use of astronomy-based activities. The activities will enhance conceptual understanding of science and teach the fundamental importance of scientific inquiry. The workshop will address key components of the Missouri Science Grade Level Expectations for secondary students through an interdisciplinary approach to science. A similar workshop, focusing on comet science, will be developed by Dr. Gibb and a collaborator for the Washington, DC metropolitan area.