LSST Discovery Alliance awarded six 2024 Science Catalyst Grants to support research and community-building activities that prepare scientists for early science with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). The funded projects span software development, scientific analysis, community meetings, and training efforts designed to strengthen collaboration and maximize the scientific impact of Rubin LSST data.
Preparing for Rubin LSST: Exploring the Variability of Infant stEllar Populations Across the Wavelength Spectrum (PREVIEW)
Principal Investigator: Rosaria (Sara) Bonito, INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo
Award Amount: $6,600
The PREVIEW project is developing a comprehensive analysis framework to identify and characterize young stellar objects (YSOs) in Rubin LSST fields by combining precursor DECam time-domain observations with the Rubin Science Platform. The project focuses on creating robust pipelines for source detection, photometry, and variability analysis that will be broadly applicable to early Rubin science.
LSST Discovery Alliance funding supports travel for MSc student Alessandro Tramuto to present project results at international conferences and covers publication costs for the team’s first lead-author paper. A major outcome of the project will be a suite of well-documented Python notebooks that will be contributed to the Rubin community, helping researchers study stellar variability and optimize observing strategies for young stellar populations.
Detection of White Dwarf Signals from First-Light LSST Data
Principal Investigator: Carlos Eduardo Ferreira Lopes, University of Atacama / Instituto de Investigación en Astronomía y Ciencias Planetarias
Award Amount: $9,580
This project develops new techniques for detecting and characterizing variable white dwarfs using Rubin LSST first-light observations together with multiwavelength data from the Southern Photometric Local Universe Survey (S-PLUS). By combining Rubin data with precursor surveys and Gaia measurements, the team aims to improve methods for identifying stellar variability and understanding the evolution of white dwarf populations.
The project also strengthens Rubin LSST research capacity within the growing Chilean astronomy community by supporting scientific collaboration among researchers across Chile and Brazil. Funding supports collaborative research visits, project coordination, and activities that will position the team to pursue future Rubin-related research opportunities.
Better Together: Joint Modeling of Imaging Data from LSST and Complementary Surveys to Maximize Early Transient Science
Principal Investigator: Charlotte Ward, Princeton University
Co-Investigator: Peter Melchior, Princeton University
Award Amount: $7,800
This project advances the Scarlet2 time-domain image modeling framework, enabling astronomers to jointly analyze Rubin LSST observations with data from complementary facilities including LS4, the Zwicky Transient Facility, Euclid, Hubble Space Telescope, and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
The software will improve measurements of transient events, host galaxies, and crowded-field sources while enabling more accurate photometry and transient classification. LSST Discovery Alliance support funds community engagement through workshops, tutorials, and conference participation to ensure Scarlet2 addresses the needs of Rubin Science Collaborations and the broader time-domain astronomy community. Deliverables include software enhancements, documentation, tutorial notebooks, and a peer-reviewed publication.
Developing Simulations and Real-Time Alert Systems for Rare Transiting Events: Exoplanets Around Brown Dwarfs as a Case Study
Principal Investigator: Chris Theissen, University of California San Diego
Award Amount: $6,000
This project will develop simulations and real-time alert tools to estimate Rubin LSST’s ability to discover Earth-sized exoplanets transiting brown dwarfs. Rubin’s depth, cadence, and near-infrared sensitivity provide a unique opportunity to detect these rare systems, which could significantly improve our understanding of planet formation around the smallest stellar objects.
The team will create flexible simulation software that interfaces with Rubin’s Metrics Analysis Framework, develop real-time alert capabilities for promising transit events, and release all software as open-source tools for the Rubin community. Funding supports an undergraduate researcher who will build and validate the simulation framework.
First LSST Latin American Meeting (LSST@LATAM): Catalyzing Research Collaborations
Principal Investigator: José G. Fernández Trincado, Universidad Católica del Norte
Meeting Location: Universidad de La Serena, Chile
Meeting Dates: June 10–14, 2024
Award Amount: $5,000
The inaugural LSST@LATAM meeting brought together researchers, students, and educators from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico to strengthen Latin American participation in Rubin LSST science. Modeled after the successful LSST@Europe and LSST@Asia meetings, the conference featured science collaboration updates, hands-on tutorials, data products training, education and public outreach activities, and opportunities for new researchers to become involved in Rubin early science.
LSST Discovery Alliance funding supported travel and accommodation for graduate students and early-career researchers, broadening participation and helping establish new scientific collaborations throughout the Latin American Rubin community.
LSST@Europe6 Conference Fee Waiver Program
Principal Investigator: Mireia Montes, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
Meeting Location: La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain
Meeting Dates: September 16–20, 2024
Award Amount: $5,000
LSST@Europe6 continued the successful European Rubin Observatory conference series by bringing together researchers from Europe and around the world to advance scientific collaboration and prepare for Rubin LSST operations.
LSST Discovery Alliance funding provided conference fee waivers for graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty from low-income countries, and other participants who would otherwise be unable to attend. These awards expanded access to the meeting, strengthened participation from Rubin Science Collaborations and LSST Discovery Alliance member institutions, and helped foster new international collaborations ahead of Rubin early science.