Dr. Heather Morrison, at Case Western Reserve University, will use several surveys, primarily the Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE) K giant star survey" and the Spaghetti K giant survey", to trace the Galactic halo from galactocentric radii of 5-100 kiloparsecs. The SEGUE survey will produce a sample of 10,000 K giants two orders of magnitude larger than any previous sample. The Spaghetti survey and a new sample of metal-poor stars in the solar neighborhood will result in data for K giants in all 6 components of position/velocity space. Accurate distances, velocities and metallicities will be available for all these stars, making a four-dimensional map of the Milky Way that will be used to constrain the accretion history of the Galaxy, using both star streams in the halo and the structure of the outer disk.
Dr. Morrison will undertake a calibration effort that is needed for the SEGUE K giant survey, but one that will be of use to future stellar researchers who wish to use the Sloan database with confidence. Dr. Morrison displays a commitment to outreach to the public and to students at her home institution. This research project will provide opportunities for undergraduate research and interactive classroom discussion. Finally, the Case program for Women in Science and Engineering, co-founded by Dr. Morrison, is involved in encouraging women undergraduates to stay in science.
