IRES Track I: Exploring New Horizons in the Observable Universe at the Cosmic Dawn Center of Excellence in Copenhagen

University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

The first stars, galaxies and black holes burst into existence only a few hundred million years after the Big Bang, bringing light to the cosmos and setting in motion processes that built the Universe as we see it today. Many mysteries remain about these early epochs, but not for too much longer: new and upcoming facilities such as the Atacama Large Millimeter Array and the James Webb Space Telescope are optimized to revolutionize our understanding of this time period, known as "Cosmic Dawn." The Cosmic Dawn Center of Excellence (DAWN, established 2018), an international research center in Copenhagen, Denmark, brings together scholars whose interests span a broad range of observational and theoretical inquiries into Cosmic Dawn. Their expertise, together with Copenhagen's beautiful and enriching setting, make DAWN an ideal host for budding US scholars. We will create the DAWN-IRES Scholars Program to empower future generations of US scientists through a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of visiting Copenhagen to immerse themselves into this vibrant international research center. The DAWN-IRES scholars will join a cohort of 7 student researchers in a stimulating 10-week science program that merges research using next-generation telescopes with life in a thousand-year-old city. The program's structure will encourage students to build learning communities within their cohorts, equipping them with practical research and communication skills. At the same time, the international exposure and access to cutting-edge resources will help maintain US leadership within the global astronomical community. Students will lead observational and/or theoretical projects that contribute towards understanding some of the most fundamental questions in astrophysics today: What caused the reionization of the Universe? How do the first, massive galaxies form? What is the origin of galaxy scaling relations? What quenches star formation in massive galaxies? Over the next decade, the center's mission is to develop and test a physical model explaining the key processes responsible for the assembly of the earliest galaxies through to the present day. The DAWN-IRES Scholars will join this thriving international research network, bridging the world class research performed by the US-based associate faculty coordinating this program with the DAWN permanent faculty and the local program coordinator. The key learning goals of this international research experience include: (1) building a learning community to stimulate personal and academic growth, (2) developing effective scientific communication skills, and (3) performing globally competitive research addressing an open question in astrophysics. The DAWN-IRES program is primarily designed to enhance the progress of science through a unique global educational training experience for a diverse cohort of US students. The themes defining the broader impact of the program include diversity, training, dissemination, and community. Through extensive proactive recruitment strategies (direct contact with faculty at minority-serving institutions, leveraging social media, widely circulating flyers, local announcements in STEM courses, and more), the PI will assemble diverse groups of scholars to stimulate excellence and innovation. The program incorporates a wide range of professional development activities that are focused on advancing scientific communication skills (e.g., weekly seminars, hack days, oral presentations abroad and stateside). The students will also build professional research toolkits, including learning programming, data analysis and presentation techniques. Dissemination of research will occur through the DAWN-IRES Scholars Symposium at the end of each summer in Copenhagen, together with a presentation at the students' local institutions and the national American Astronomical Society meeting. Working with the Center for Excellence in Teaching at UConn, the assessment strategy of DAWN-IRES will be tailored to the learning goals of the program. 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.