Abstract: One of the most active fields in modern astrophysics is
galaxy evolution, with the goal to understand how the first galaxies
formed and subsequently evolved across cosmic time. The launch of the
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has enabled the study of the infant
universe in unprecedented detail. In this talk, I will discuss the
star formation and chemical enrichment properties of galaxies in the
early universe using JWST observations. I will discuss the stellar
mass assembly of galaxies and show that changing star formation
parameters to reflect the higher temperatures in the infant universe
is necessary to interpret JWST observations. As a byproduct of star
formation, dust is one of the fundamental components of a galaxy. I
will discuss the evolution of the dust content of galaxies and show
some new findings that are some of the current challenges to explain.

Bio: Dr. Charity Woodrum is a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, working as part of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) team. She is also a member of JWST’s Near-IR Camera (NIRCam) science team and the JADES collaboration. Previously, Dr. Woodrum was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow at the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory where she earne her PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics working with Professor Marcia Rieke. She earned a B.S. in Physics at the University of Oregon, conducting research with Dr. Scott Fisher and Dr. Inger Jørgensen.