NRT-WoU: Research Training Opportunities in the Nascent Field of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics

2017年8月17日，引力波探测器和传统望远镜都观测到了两颗中子星的碰撞。这是两个“信使”（引力波和光）首次同时观测到一个天体物理事件，具有广泛的科学意义，从检验基本物理定律和宇宙膨胀到了解元素周期表中最重元素的起源。这一事件开创了一个新的领域——多信使天体物理学，它有可能改变研究人员观察和理解宇宙的方式。在未来的几年里，大量的新数据预计将来自现有的和即将到来的引力波探测器、望远镜、伽马射线探测器和中微子探测器。新数据集的规模、复杂性和多样性将与天体物理学中所见的任何数据集都不同。这项授予明尼苏达大学双城分校的国家科学基金会研究培训（NRT）奖将通过培训硕士和博士生掌握现代数据科学技术，促进这些数据集的管理、处理和分析。NRT将利用新兴的多信使天体物理学领域作为训练基地，帮助学生为工业界和学术界现代数据驱动劳动力的挑战做好准备。该项目预计将培养50名硕士和博士研究生，其中包括30名受资助的学员，他们来自天体物理学、计算机科学、电气工程、物理学和统计学等领域。此外，预计约80名研究生将参与该项目提供的技术、研究和专业培训。受训者将在跨学科的培训团队中工作，在跨学科的教师指导团队的指导下，寻求独特的研究机会。他们将使用最现代的数据分析技术，如机器学习、深度学习、贝叶斯推理等，来解决多信使天体物理学中的一些紧迫问题。他们的培训将包括一系列讲习班、研讨会、专题讨论会、期刊俱乐部、外展活动和秋季静修，旨在为受训者提供更广泛的数据科学技术、工具和应用的接触，并提供发展专业沟通和领导技能、职业发展、愿景和影响技能的机会。受训者将在当地和国家公司和研究机构进行暑期研究和行业实习。将开展一系列活动，以确保代表性不足的少数民族和妇女的充分参与，并围绕该项目建立一个强大的社区，为学员提供支持结构，帮助他们有效地完成项目，并为他们提供毕业后的就业机会。该项目开发的最佳实践将公开提供，供全国其他STEM研究生项目采用。美国国家科学基金会研究实习生（NRT）计划旨在鼓励开发和实施大胆的、具有潜在变革性的STEM研究生教育培训新模式。该项目致力于通过创新、循证、适应不断变化的劳动力和研究需求的综合培训模式，在高优先级跨学科或融合研究领域对STEM研究生进行有效培训。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。

On August 17, 2017, a collision of two neutron stars was observed both by gravitational-wave detectors and by traditional telescopes. This first simultaneous observation of an astrophysical event by the two "messengers" (gravitational waves and light) has had broad scientific implications, ranging from tests of fundamental physical laws and expansion of the universe to the understanding of the origin of the heaviest elements in the periodic table. The event ushered in a new field, Multi-Messenger Astrophysics, with the potential to transform how researchers observe and understand the universe. In the coming years, vast amounts of new data are expected from existing and upcoming gravitational wave detectors, telescopes, gamma ray detectors, and neutrino detectors. The size, complexity, and diversity of the new datasets will be unlike anything seen in Astrophysics. This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities will facilitate the management, processing, and analysis of these datasets by training MS and PhD students in modern data science techniques. The NRT will use the nascent field of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics as a training ground to prepare students for the challenges of the modern data-driven workforce in both industry and academia. This project anticipates training fifty (50) MS and PhD students, including thirty (30) funded trainees, from the fields of astrophysics, computer science, electrical engineering, physics and statistics. In addition, approximately eighty (80) graduate students are anticipated to participate in aspects of the technical, research, and professional training provided by the project.The trainees will pursue unique research opportunities by working in interdisciplinary trainee teams, mentored by interdisciplinary faculty mentoring teams. They will use the most modern data analytics techniques, such as machine learning, deep learning, Bayesian inference and others, to address some of the pressing questions in Multi-Messenger Astrophysics. Their training will include a series of workshops, seminars, symposia, journal club, outreach activities, and fall retreats designed to provide trainees with a broader exposure to data science techniques, tools, and applications, and with opportunities for development of professional communications and leadership skills, and career development, vision, and impact skills. The trainees will pursue summer research and industry internships with local and national companies and research organizations. A series of activities will be pursued to ensure full participation of underrepresented minorities and women and to develop a strong community around this program that will provide a supportive structure for the trainees, helping them move through the program efficiently and presenting them with career opportunities post-graduation. The best practices developed by this program will be publicly available for adoption by other STEM graduate programs across the nation. The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new potentially transformative models for STEM graduate education training. The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas through comprehensive traineeship models that are innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.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.