AST-9618623 Chemistry of the Galactic Bulge. Dr. McWilliam will analyze spectra of 100 K giant stars in the bulge of the Galaxy in order to address the following questions: What is the average Fe/H ratio of giant stars in the Galactic bulge? Is this ratio similar to the solar neighborhood indicating no radial abundance gradient in the Galaxy's disk or is it higher than the solar neighborhood, suggestive of a gradient? Is the formation timescale of the bulge less than 1 billion years or is it closer to 4-5 billion years? Which type of supernova was the dominant contributor to the chemical enrichment of the bulge? ==========================================
