A new technique for measuring stellar distances using Oxygen lines in F type supergiants is being developed by Professor Deane Peterson of the State University of New York at Stony Brook. This award funds research to test the new method on objects in M33, a member of our local group of galaxies. If successful, the new technique promises an independent way to determine distances to more distant galaxies, improving our knowledge of the value of the Hubble constant and the age of the universe.
