96-18364 Sneden, Christopher Dr. Sneden will carry out a diverse program of research into fundamental issues of stellar nucleosynthesis and the early chemical evolution of the Milky Way Galaxy by obtaining highresolution spectroscopy of key stellar populations in the Galaxy's halo. Galactic halo objects possess richly varied chemical compositions, which provide fundamental clues to early chemical and dynamical evolution. The signature of abundances of very heavy elements in the most metaldeficient stars reveal the nature of the first generation of Galactic supernovae; the abundance of light elements in globular cluster stars indicate complex hydrogen nucleosynthesis and internal mixing in stellar interiors;the interstellar absorption features on lines of sight toward stars in the halo map out large interstellar clouds in the Galactic halo. Among the most interesting of Dr. Sneden's work will be studies of the element Thorium, which holds the potential to provide an estimate of the age of the Galaxy. ***
