Science Catalyst Grants maximize the scientific impact of Rubin Observatory’s LSST by supporting bold ideas, inclusive participation, and interdisciplinarity. LSST Discovery Alliance has awarded funding to 12 requests submitted in response to its 2020 call for proposals. The funds will support nine workshops, two summer student research programs, and one data challenge. Below are our 2020 awardees.
Bayesian Deep Learning for Cosmology
Awardee: Eric Aubourg, APC / Université de Paris and CEA
Award: $12,000
Host a workshop that will bring together researchers from different science collaborations as well as industry partners around the topic of Bayesian Deep Learning.
PCW 2020 Hack-day and Documentation Sprint
Awardee: Federica Bianco, University of Delaware
Award: $1,390
Use the availability of existing infrastructure and an Overleaf professional account to support a “hack-day” and a “documentation day” in August, just before the PCW. The goal is to come up to speed on the Rubin LSST Metric Analysis Framework (MAF).
Alert Brokers and Their User Community in the Era of LSST
Awardee: Francisco Förster & Anais Möller, Millennium Institute of Astrophysics and CNRS/LPC-Clermont
Award: $2,000
Host two Alert Brokers workshops.
Continuing the Connection of LSST Undergraduate Internships with the CIERA REU Program
Awardee: Aaron Geller, Northwestern University
Award: $12,000
Support internships for two undergraduate students as part of the long-term CIERA REU program.
Supporting Interactions between the LSST DESC, Rubin Observatory & LSST Science Collaborations with a Focus on Early Career Scientists
Awardees: Rachel Mandelbaum & Patricia Burchat, Carnegie Mellon University and Stanford University
Award: $12,100
Support early career scientists and key contributors to attend two meetings in 2021 and a workshop regarding image simulation and processing and observing strategies.
LSST Undergraduate Internship for Data-Driven Astronomy
Awardee: Brian Nord, Cosmic Physics Center, Fermilab
Award: $13,568
Host and hire two undergraduate interns to work on data science LSST-related topics during the summer of 2021.
Workshop on Systemic Racism and its Relation to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion during the 2021 Rubin PCW
Awardees: Andrés Plazas & Federica Bianco, Princeton University – Rubin Observatory and University of Delaware
Award: $6,000
Host an interactive workshop on the topic of systemic racism and its relation to EDI during the 2021 Rubin Project and Community Workshop (PCW).
Detecting Anomalies, Outliers, and the Unknown Unknowns: Expanding the LSST Time-Domain Discovery Space
Awardee: Tyler Pritchard, NYU
Award: $5,000
Conduct a remote workshop between science collaborations and brokers to prepare for “unknown unknowns” and work directly in ZTF data to implement filters.
Image Sensors for Precision Astronomy (ISPA) 2020/2021 Workshop
Awardee: Andy Rasmussen, Stanford University, SLAC National Accelerator Lab
Award: $8,000
Support the participation of eight junior scientists (postdocs and/or students) in a two-day face-to-face meeting in instrumentation to share results and findings.
AGN Data Challenge
Awardee: Gordon Richards, Drexel University
Award: $12,500
Conduct an AGN data challenge to develop tools to parameterize AGN light curves, select AGN, derive AGN photometric redshifts, and provide the training set.
Preparing for LSST Solar System Follow-up
Awardee: Meg Schwamb, Queen’s University Belfast
Award: $8,800
Host an in-person sprint (followed by a virtual workshop) to develop the SSSC’s follow-up observing roadmap and facilitate the design and coordination of prospective large LSST Solar System follow-up observing programs.
Preparing for the Statistical Age of Strong Gravitational Lens Science with the Rubin Observatory LSST
Awardee: Aprajita Verma, University of Oxford
Award: $8,600
Support junior members to attend a strong lensing workshop in mid-2021.