The system of star clusters in the Magellanic Clouds provides an ideal source of information on the history of these two galaxies. By measuring the ages of the clusters and by determining their chemical abundances, it is possible to reconstruct the history of the rate of cluster formation, as well as to explore the question of chemical enrichment. Dr. Hodge will continue observational work on key star clusters using state of the art detectors. He will concentrate on three special problems: 1) clusters containing Cepheid variables; 2) cluster lifetimes as a function of position and cluster mass; and 3) very young clusters as condensations in star forming regions. An important by product of this work is the comparison of observations with theoretical evolutionary tracks of ages and abundances that are not available from well populated clusters in our Galaxy. Furthermore, photometry observations allow a test of the distance determination of the Large Magellanic Cloud, which has been questioned.
