Talk Title: Evolutionary Clues from the Integrated Spectra of Galaxies
Abstract: This talk will review recent results from several major surveys of visible-light spectra of nearby galaxies. In spite of the limitations imposed by the composite nature of an integrated spectrum, such spectra can provide suprisingly accurate diagnostics of total star formation rates, mean extinctions and metal abundances, nuclear activity, and the recent star formation histories of normal galaxies and starbursts. I will describe recent examples of each of these applications, and discuss the prospects for extending these techniques to high-redshift objects with the next generation of large groundbased and space telescopes.
Link to talk: N/A