This is a broad and ambitious program of research and education related to precision cosmology, focusing on the dual quests to determine the initial conditions of the Universe and to discover the physical properties of dark energy. New statistical techniques for Bayesian covariance analysis can take full advantage of the information contained in the cosmic microwave background and other cosmological probes. Applying these techniques will allow this project to close in on an understanding of how the cosmos began, and what constitutes the dark energy that so dominates it.
The associated education program capitalizes on existing infrastructure at the University of Illinois. An exciting new "Einstein's Physics" one-week curriculum will partner with the Colleges of Engineering and Education, and the university's office of Women in Engineering, as part of a camp for high school girls. Support for these activities is part of this award. The research project also enhances graduate and postdoctoral education through an international component associated with the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Munich.
As the WMAP satellite produces new data, the Planck satellite launches in 2007, the South Pole Telescope comes online, and other cosmological data become available, the present program of research and education will uncover the initial conditions of the Universe, place strong constraints on the physical properties of dark energy, and open new avenues for the involvement of women and under-represented minorities.
