9213548 Beers This award supports Professor Timothy Beers and a graduate student of Michigan State University to collaborate in astronomical research with Dr. Jesper Sommer-Larsen of the Niels Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. The objective of their research is to obtain extensive new spectroscopic observations of Field Horizontal Branch (FHB) and apparent Main-Sequence A stars in the halo of the Galaxy. These data will allow for a definitive study of the kinematics of such stars without the present limitations of small number statistics and kinematic selection bias. Discussion and refinement of the kinematic and dynamical models of Vedel and Sommer-Larsen are other important aspects of the collaborative project. This research addresses fundamental questions about the dynamic and chemical history of the galactic halo and disk system. Results should advance our understanding of the history of the galaxy. The collaborative arrangement will significantly increase the telescope observing time available to the U.S. researchers by providing access to the European Southern Observatory. ***
