Materials Science, Astronomy and Outreach: A Collaborative Program of Research and Science Education between Southern University and LIGO

Southern University, Baton Rouge LA

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal describes planned activities that will build a strong, ongoing relationship between the Physics Department at Southern University (SU) in Baton Rouge, LA and the LIGO Laboratory. The program has two major components: first, the study of impurities in materials of interest to LIGO for advanced detector optics; and second, an educational and research program for SU students together with an outreach program in collaboration with the LIGO Livingston Observatory (LLO) to inform and educate students of all ages about basic science in general, and the LIGO search for gravity waves in particular. In addition, the proposal looks forward to an interesting analysis program to correlate gamma ray bursts (observed for a number of years, but still not understood) with gravity waves that LIGO expects to observe when the LIGO upgrade is completed. The proximity of LLO to the SU campus ( it is about 50 miles from SU) greatly enhances the outreach program since students will have access to research projects at LLO while they are enrolled in classes at SU.