REU Site: Preparing a Diverse Workforce through Interdisciplinary Astrophysics Research

Northwestern University, Evanston IL

Investigators

Abstract

This award will establish an REU Site at Northwestern University (NU)'s Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA). The Site will take advantage of CIERA's interdisciplinary nature, providing students access to mentors and experience across departments, and insight into the cross-departmental connections between astronomy and astrophysics and other STEM disciplines. The Faculty Mentors (all of whom are members of CIERA) come from four departments: the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Applied Math, Earth and Planetary Science, and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Available research projects cover a wide range of astronomical topics and research methods, from theory to computation and from instrumentation to experimentation. Furthermore, the projects will use a wide range of cutting-edge facilities, including instrument labs and the Quest high performance computing facility at NU, instruments at Fermilab and Argonne National Laboratory, and the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory. Through this exposure, the REU students will learn how astronomical studies prepare them with a wide range of skills and can lead them to diverse professional paths. NU CIERA's REU site will give students the experience of doing interdisciplinary astronomical research, expose them to a wide array of exciting research areas in astrophysics, and build community among the students themselves and with NU researchers. The Site also aims to recruit a significant fraction of its participants from members of underrepresented groups in STEM by partnering with Chicago-area minority serving institutions. Through high-quality research experiences and professional development activities, the NU CIERA REU Site will contribute to the development of a diverse, sophisticated, and highly competitive STEM workforce.