The goal of this collaborative project is to explore the relationship between gas metallicity and star formation rate. It will use the VISTA Magellanic Clouds (VMC) near IR survey photometry to extend a catalog of young stellar objects (YSOs) to solar masses. The program will measure the amount of molecular gas present as a test of recent star formation theories and will ascertain the effects on the structure and formation of dense pre-stellar cores.
Broader impacts of the work include training of undergraduate and graduate students and a postdoc in the use of ALMA, and release of GPIPS survey results and software to the astronomical community. The Baltimore-based postdoc and graduate students of Dr. Meixner will participate in Project ASTRO, which reaches out to the Baltimore City School system, while Co-I Dr. Indebetouw and his students will create new multi-wavelength components for K-12 teacher workshops.
