USA Sky Partners: Expanding Access to Authentic Research Experiences for Undergraduates

该奖项全部由《2021年美国救援计划法案》（公法117-2）资助。专业天文学家的一项重要任务是为美国本科生提供真实的天文学研究体验，让他们在完成项目后感到从事科学研究的能力是他们身份的一部分。为了实现这一目标，拉斯康布雷斯天文台（LCO）将创建一个新的美国天空合作伙伴计划，在该计划中，LCO提供他们的全球机器人望远镜网络，并与美国高校合作，为天文学中代表性不足的群体的学生提供服务。这个试点项目的目标有三个方面：(1)充分发展LCO、西方学院和波多黎各大学Rico-Río Piedras之间的合作关系，为一所西班牙裔大学和洛杉矶一所小型文理学院的本科生提供真正的天文学研究经验，该学院的学生群体多样化。(2)开发实施试点学生研究项目所需的在线视频和书面材料，使用英语和西班牙语，并在大学的两个合作机构运行该项目。(3)招募更多服务欠缺社区的机构伙伴加入伙伴关系，以提出长期全面伙伴关系的未来建议。学生研究计划是一个为期八周的研讨会，可以单独进行，也可以与天文学入门课程结合进行。观测经验利用LCO网络中的10台0.4m望远镜。用LCO望远镜观测所需要的只是一台能上网的电脑和一份望远镜时间分配。从web浏览器请求观察，当观察完成后，通过基于web的存档返回管道处理的数据。天文台调度是自动化的。十架40米的望远镜几乎完全用于教育，无论学生身在何处，他们获得观测结果的成功率都很高。学生们将选择研究目标，学习如何使用LCO望远镜，为他们的目标写一份简短的提案，进行观察，并学习如何写一篇论文，作为他们研究过程的一部分。作为LCO全球天空合作伙伴计划的一部分，该研讨会已开发并成功用于高中环境。这个专为本科生设计的研讨会将使学生们在科学研究方面取得成功，即使他们以前没有经验或没有接触过望远镜设备。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 award is funded in whole under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). An important mission for professional astronomers is to provide an authentic astronomy research experience for US undergraduates, where they complete the program feeling that the ability to do science is part of their identity. To achieve this, Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) will create a new USA Sky Partners program where LCO provides access to their global robotic telescope network and partners with US colleges and universities that reach students from groups that are underrepresented in astronomy. The goals of this pilot project are three-fold: (1) Fully develop partnerships between LCO, Occidental College, and the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras that provide real astronomy research experiences for undergraduates at a Hispanic-serving university and a small liberal arts college in Los Angeles with a diverse student population. (2) Develop the online video and written materials required to implement the pilot student research program, in English and Spanish, and run the program at both university partner institutions. (3) Recruit additional institutional partners that reach underserved communities to join the partnership for a future proposal for a long-term full partnership.The student research program is an eight-week workshop that can be done separately or in conjunction with an introductory astronomy course. The observing experience utilizes the ten 0.4m telescopes in the LCO network. All that is required to observe with LCO telescopes is a computer with access to the internet and an allocation of telescope time. Observations are requested from a web browser and pipeline processed data are returned via the web-based archive when the observations are complete. The observatory scheduling is automated. With ten 0.4m telescopes dedicated almost entirely to education, students have a high success rate in obtaining observations, regardless of where they are physically located. Students will select targets to study, learn how to use LCO telescopes, write a brief proposal for their target, make observations, and learn how to write a paper as part of their research process. This Seminar has been developed and successfully used in high school environments as part of LCO’s Global Sky Partners program. The seminar adapted for undergraduates will give students success doing science even if they have no previous experience or access to telescope facilities.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.