CHAPTER TWO GALAXY FORMATION FROM A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE: CONSTRAINTS FROM THE RESOLVED STELLAR POPULATIONS OF THE MILKY WAY

I present a capsulized summary of the exciting field of the study of galaxy formation and evolution based on inspection of the local neighborhood - the stars of the Milky Way (and its dwarf galaxy populations). After a brief overview of the topic, I discuss previous surveys of the stellar populations of the Milky Way, in particular those directed at the identification of stars in the halo. I then present a discussion of current surveys, and consider what has already been revealed by examination of data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Several examples of detailed analyses for stars of particular importance for constraining the early epochs of chemical evolution are then discussed. Efforts to model the formation and evolution of the Milky Way, based on such data, are then presented. Finally, I consider the next steps to be taken on this journey of understanding.