NAM 2017 session: Galactic Chemical Evolution, Stars, and the Creation of Elements in the Big-Data Era

The life and death cycle of the stars is key to our understanding of the creation of the elements and the ongoing chemical evolution of our Galaxy. In this new era of big data and large scale spectroscopic surveys (Gaia, APOGEE, Gaia-ESO, WEAVE), we are now obtaining the large galactic chemical datasets needed to truly characterise the stellar populations within the Milky Way and also within other galaxies using key facilities such as ALMA. The three fields we seek to bridge are: 1) the properties of nuclei, nuclear reaction rates and nucleosynthesis pathways; 2) stellar structure, evolution and element nucleosynthesis; and 3) observation and modelling of the chemodynamical evolution of galaxies. Advancing the underlying physics of these fields and improving the key measurements that are passed between them provides the framework upon which the analyses of large chemical datasets are based. It is essential that these fields are kept at the forefront and kept in close communication to maximise the exploitation of these impressive observational datasets. This interdisciplinary session is proposed by the BRIDGCE UK network (BRIdging the Disciplines of Galactic Chemical Evolution, www.bridgce.ac.uk) which transfers knowledge and develops synergies between the UK researchers investigating the origin of the elements and the evolution of the stars and galaxies. The latest advancements in these fields will be presented and considered in the context of the big data observational programmes of stellar population chemical distributions both within the Milky Way and within galaxies at high redshift.