Dr. Adam Smercina, Space Telescope Science Institute

Title: A New Era of Galaxy Evolution using Resolved Stars

Abstract: The varied and dynamic evolutionary histories of galaxies give rise to their stunning diversity in the present-day universe. Inferring these histories requires accessing the information encoded in their longest-lived visible components: stars. We are in an exciting new frontier, with a fleet of current and upcoming observatories capable of accessing the resolved stellar populations within and around external galaxies. In this talk, I will first summarize my efforts to chart the merger histories of nearby galaxies by surveying the stars in their accreted halos, including the exciting potential of the upcoming Roman Space Telescope. I will then discuss my efforts to trace the evolution of these galaxies star formation and structure, particularly as a consequence of their merger histories, through high-resolution surveys of their main bodies. In particular, I will highlight several large programs with JWST, which has opened up an exciting new frontier for this science. Over the next decade, these efforts with JWST and Roman have the potential to transform our view of galaxy evolution. To close, I will discuss how this current pioneering work with JWST will pave way for the next paradigm shift in resolved star science: the Habitable Worlds Observatory.