REU Site: Astronomy and Physics at Georgia State University: From the Largest to Smallest Scales in the Universe

该项目将在佐治亚州立大学(GSU)建立一个新的REU天文学和物理学网站，其主题是探索自然界的各种尺度及其在基础物理、科学方法、与其他研究领域的联系、数据获取和测量、统计分析、计算建模、系统和随机不确定性的表征、通过讲座和海报展示结果以及科学写作方面的共性和差异。每个学生将被分配一个不同的研究项目，并与他们的教员、导师和小组密切合作，为系夏季研讨会和全国会议做报告。每组2-4名学生将与一名教职员工一起前往格拉斯哥州立大学附属的天文台或实验室(阿帕奇点天文台、查拉或布鲁克海文)，为期一周，开展与其研究领域相关的小型项目。每周由研究生协调员主持的研讨会将集中在专业实践和道德、阅读科学论文、科学演讲、科学写作和夏季研讨会的实践。每周的午餐会将包括由研究生主持的简短的教师讲座和讨论问题，以促进学生对他们的研究项目及其在整个宇宙中的联系的讨论。社交活动将利用亚特兰大的许多文化和娱乐机会。格拉斯哥州立大学是东南部的一所大型城市研究型大学，也是为黑人和拉美裔美国人提供少数族裔服务的官方机构。物理和天文学系希望在其成功的基础上，增加物理学毕业生中代表性不足的理科学士人数，它的非正式项目是未来20年的有偿本科生研究人员项目，以及过去两年的更正式项目。招聘目标是在全国范围内扩大该计划，以吸引STEM机会有限的不同学生群体，为他们提供对他们的科学发展、研究生入学资格和就业至关重要的研究经验。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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 establish a new REU site in astronomy and physics at Georgia State University (GSU) with a theme of exploring the various size scales in nature and their commonalities and differences in terms of fundamental physics, scientific approach, connection to other fields of study, data acquisition and measurement, statistical analysis, computational modeling, characterization of systematic and random uncertainties, presentation of results via talks and posters, and scientific writing. Each student will be given a distinct research project and work closely with their faculty advisor and group to produce presentations for a department summer symposium and a national conference. Groups of 2 – 4 students will travel with a faculty member to a GSU-affiliated observatory or laboratory (Apache Point Observatory, CHARA, or Brookhaven) for a week to carry out a mini-project related to their research field. Weekly seminars led by the graduate coordinator will focus on professional practices and ethics, reading scientific papers, scientific talks, science writing, and practice for the summer symposium. Weekly lunch meetings will feature brief faculty talks and discussion questions led by graduate students to foster student discussions of their research projects and their connectivity throughout the Universe. Social activities will take advantage of the many cultural and recreational opportunities in Atlanta. GSU is a large urban research university in the Southeast and an official minority-serving institution for both Blacks and Hispanics. The Department of Physics and Astronomy is looking to build on its success in growing the number of underrepresented B.S. in Physics graduates, its informal program of paid undergraduate researchers over 20 years, and its more formal program in the past 2 years. The recruitment objective is to expand the program nationally to attract a diverse group of students with limited STEM opportunities to provide them with a research experience that is essential for their scientific development, eligibility for graduate school, and employment.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.