This Faculty Award for Women Scientists and Engineers is made to Dr. Marcia J. Rieke of the Steward Observatory, University of Arizona. The NSF Faculty Award for Women Scientists and Engineers recognizes the high quality of the awardee's record in teaching and scholarship as well as the potential for continued significant contributions to scientific research, the academic profession, and the education of future scientists. A period of rapid technological growth in infrared detectors for use in astronomy is allowing astronomers to address problems that could only be dreamed about five years ago. Dr. Rieke will be carrying out studies aimed at understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies. This is now possible because of the availability of infrared (IR) cameras which operate at sensitivity levels far beyond the simple photometry of the past decade. The utility of studying high-redshift galaxies at infrared wavelengths stems from the fact that the energy distribution of the electromagnetic emissions from galaxies peaks in the infrared part of the spectrum and hence galaxies appear brightest in the infrared at all redshifts. The infrared emission is sensitive to the bulk of the stellar population. Early infrared data on high redshift galaxies confirms expectations about the nature of the stars in these galaxies which of necessity were selected mainly from lists of radio galaxies. A new, more sensitive IR camera is being prepared for use, and will allow many issues associated with high redshift galaxies to be addressed. The long-standing question of whether radio galaxies are typical elliptical galaxies and hence suitable for use in cosmological work will be the primary study. Other research centering on understanding the nature of galaxies observed in deep infrared surveys will be carried out.//
