Galactic Archeology Near and Far
| Date/Time: | Monday, 17 Feb 2020 from 4:10 pm to 5:00 pm |
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| Location: | Phys 0005 |
| Phone: | 525-294-5441 |
| Channel: | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences |
| Actions: | Download iCal/vCal | Email Reminder |
Abstract: Understanding galaxies and their evolution over time is critical for interpreting the stellar history and chemical enrichment of the Universe. Galaxies that lie at different distances help us fill in different pieces of the puzzle -- from large statistical samples of coarsely-resolved systems to our own Milky Way, which gives us a unique, up-close picture of galaxy structure and fundamental stellar physics. I will describe the Milky Way and Local Group in the context of galactic studies and highlight recent work that explores how stars and gas shape the evolution of galaxies on a wide variety of scales. With numerous new surveys on the horizon, including SDSS and the Gaia mission, these topics promise to be exciting avenues of research for many years to come.
Bio: Dr. Gail Zasowski received her PhD in Astronomy from the University of Virginia. She then accepted a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, which she carried out at The Ohio State University and Johns Hopkins University, and served as the inaugural Lasker Data Science Research Fellow at the Space Telescope Science Institute before joining the faculty at the University of Utah. Dr. Zasowski's research focuses on the stars and gas of our own Milky Way Galaxy and other nearby galaxies, and understanding how these systems have led to the chemical makeup of today's Universe. She is the Spokesperson for the fifth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and has spent substantial time on public outreach and promoting the accessibility of science to all.