Speaker: David Nataf (Johns Hopkins University) Title: On the Milky Way’s Extinction Curve and Oldest Stellar Populations Abstract: The study of Galactic astronomy is being revolutionized by the plethora of incredible data from various new surveys, facilities, and the use of modern probabilistic methods.  In this talk of two parts, I first describe efforts to

Speaker: Svea Hernandez (Space Telescope Science Institute) Title: Uncovering the History of Galaxies and Metals by Exploiting the Power of Nearby Laboratories Abstract: Precise metallicities and chemical abundances of the different components in galaxies are critical for understanding galaxy formation, feedback and interstellar/intergalactic chemical enrichment. I take advantage of the unique FUV spectroscopic capabilities of

Speaker: Chao-Chin Yang (UNLV) Title: From Pebbles to Planets: A Tale of Protoplanetary Disks and Planetsimal Formation Abstract: Even though thousands of extrasolar planetary systems have been detected, a comprehensive picture of how planets are formed from their natal protoplanetary disks remains to be drawn.  One of the most challenging stages is the formation of kilometer-scale planetesimals from