Allison Towner, Steward Observatory
Studying Protostellar Outflows and Protoplanetary Disks in Star-Forming Protoclusters with ALMA
The precise means by which massive stars form is still a subject of much debate. In particular, recent studies have focused on the interaction between massive protostars and the protocluster environments in which they form, and how the mutual feedback may or may not influence the formation of massive stars. In this talk, I will discuss my recent work with the ALMA-IMF Large Program, in which I examine high-spatial resolution SiO observations of 315 protostellar outflow candidates in 15 of the most massive protoclusters in the Milky Way. To our knowledge, this is the largest catalog of SiO-detected candidates at this resolution to date. I will discuss highlights from this recent publication as well as future directions. I will also discuss my ongoing work on protoplanetary disks at the University of Arizona, for which I will combine my expertise in protocluster formation with protoplanetary science to investigate how protocluster conditions and evolution impact resulting exoplanet populations.

Yoon Chan Taak, UCLA
Strong lensed QSOs with variability detectable by LSST: How many are there?
I will be talking about two methods to study the SMBH-galaxy coevolution using quasars and strong gravitational lensing. 1) Reverberation mapping of lensed quasars: Reverberation mapping is a method of measuring the masses of the SMBHs at the center of quasars with long-term spectroscopic monitoring. Strongly-lensed quasars are excellent targets for reverberation mapping, because the monitoring period can be decreased thanks to time delays between the lensed images. I discuss the prospects of performing reverberation mapping on a large sample of lensed quasars. 2) Quasar host galaxies acting as strong gravitational lenses: Host galaxies of quasars are difficult to observe and understand mainly due to the sheer brightness of the quasars outshining the hosts. In the extraordinary case of a foreground quasar host galaxy lensing a background source, the gravitational lens system can be analysed to determine the mass of the host. I discuss the current status and future of the High-z Universe probed via Lensing by QSOs (HULQ) project.