Barry Rothberg 

TITLE: The Impact of Star-Formation and Gas Dissipation on Galaxy Kinematics

ABSTRACT: A key goal in astrophysics is the ability to identify the
progenitors of present-day galaxies and their transformative
processes. Mergers in the local universe present a unique opportunity
for studying these metamorphoses in detail. Yet, many studies and
simulations show gas-rich mergers do not contribute significantly to
the overall star-formation rate and total mass function of galaxies.
The ultimate implication is that Lambda-CDM cosmology and our current
understanding of galaxy formation and evolution may be completely
wrong.  I will discuss recent results, based on high-resolution
imaging and multi-wavelength spectroscopy, which demonstrate how
star-formation and the presence of multiple stellar populations has
lead to a serious underestimation (by almost an order of magnitude) of
the dynamical masses and central black hole masses of Luminous &
Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies.  The dominance of Red Supergiants and
Asymptotic Giant Branch stars in the near-infrared bands, where dust
obscuration does not block their signatures, can severely bias the
global properties measured in a galaxy, including: mass, age,
extinction, star-formation rate and central black hole mass.  I will
discuss theses new results in the context of the ULIRG-QSO connection
and the impact of multiple stellar populations on our ability to
accurately measure galaxy masses both locally and at higher redshifts.