Federal Grant Award Summary

Rochester Institute of Technology received a $150,000 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Division of Physics under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049), effective August 15, 2026, with completion anticipated July 31, 2029. This collaborative research initiative develops open-source cyberinfrastructure for resistive General-Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamics (GRMHD), a computational framework essential for simulating magnetized, electrically resistive fluids in strong gravitational fields. The research team extends the open-source GRHAYL library with fourth-order, low-diffusion numerical methods and a resistive GRMHD module featuring runtime-selectable conductivity prescriptions, enabling researchers to model magnetic energy release with physically meaningful inputs and reproducible testing capabilities.

The project advances multi-messenger astrophysics applications by improving computational modeling of extreme cosmic events such as neutron star mergers and supermassive black hole collisions. Beyond core research deliverables, the award supports broader impacts through workforce development and inclusive science engagement, including research experiences for deaf and hard of hearing students, outreach to rural K-12 students in Idaho, and public visualizations of cosmic collisions through accessible performances. This initiative strengthens the nation's high-performance computing infrastructure while training students in computational science and expanding participation in STEM research.