Project Grant 2407923

This $374,699 federal Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Astronomical Sciences under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049) will fund a 4-year collaborative research program led by investigators at Louisiana State University, Harvard University, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and University of Maryland, College Park. The research aims to improve the understanding of explosive transients in the distant universe by simultaneously combining information from multiple messengers - gravitational waves, particles, and light. The project will develop software to enable new discoveries and provide physical constraints on the nature of these exotic explosive objects. It will also provide student training opportunities, including cross-institutional internships and collaborations with amateur astronomers and citizen scientists, and incorporate the research, methods, and visualizations into course development at multiple institutions. The team will partner with LIGO Science Education Center and Baton Rouge: Bringing Youth Technology, Education and Success programs to inspire K-12 students in Louisiana through multimessenger astronomy.