Shing Chi Leung, of SUNY Poly, will use the NSF Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS) grant to also help enhance student participation from historically excluded and currently underrepresented groups in mathematical and physical-sciences research. He will collaborate with the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) for developing research […]
Shing Chi Leung, of SUNY Poly, will use the NSF Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS) grant to also help enhance student participation from historically excluded and currently underrepresented groups in mathematical and physical-sciences research. He will collaborate with the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) for developing research projects with these students.
“The partnership funded by this grant not only allows for dynamic and innovative research to take place, but also provides research opportunities to CSTEP students and ultimately will help inspire more students to become involved in science-centered activities,” Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Carlie Phipps said in a news release. “This collaboration is truly a win-win for everyone, especially as it facilitates critical interest in STEM-based careers.”
The study of supernovae is central to astrophysics because it’s connected to a number of fundamental questions including where all the chemical elements in the universe come from, according to Leung. “On top of that, supernova explosions often involve very extreme environments and fundamental physics, which are difficult to reproduce in terrestrial laboratories,” he said. “Therefore, studying supernovae provides a glimpse of these unknown landscapes.”
Studying the chemical-abundance pattern in stars and the surrounding gas may reveal how their predecessor stars exploded. While there are some high-resolution measurements of the Perseus Cluster and very early galaxies and the chemical composition of the cluster can reflect how supernovae explode in general, results show discrepancies with classical models of supernova explosions.
Using new measurements as constraints, Leung and participating students will guild a new generation of supernova models and build a pipeline to simulate how a star evolves from beginning to supernova.
Leung will work with CSTEP Coordinator Andrew Cotronea to promote research opportunities for CSTEP students and support their participation in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program and ongoing supernovae research. Funded by the New York State Department of Education, CSTEP provides structured services to foster the academic and professional success of STEM students.
The goal for the research experiences supported by the grant is to inspire more students to participate in science activities and research. The project will also support the delivery of public-science talks.