Spiral galaxies in the near IR

From June 7-9, 1995, the European Southern Observatory and the Max Plank Institut für Astrophysik held a Workshop on Spiral Galaxies in the Near-IR at the ESO headquarters in Garching bei München, Germany. Despite changing weather and a closed biergarten, 85 participants from around the globe engaged in an intensive three-day program filled with talks, coffee breaks, and poster sessions from 9 am to 6 pm. The discussions focused on the stellar populations of the Milky Way and distant spirals, the influence of dust, the dynamics of spiral galaxies, and nuclear activity observed at near-IR wavelengths. This volume compiles original contributions from attendees, including several papers that review the current state of knowledge in these areas. The editors express their gratitude to Christina Stoffer for her invaluable support, which was crucial to the meeting's success. Special thanks are also extended to Simon White and Jacqueline Bergeron, directors of MPA and ESO Science, for their encouragement. Additionally, appreciation is due to the scientific organizing committee members—R. Genzel, K. Freeman, A. Moorwood, S. White, M. Rieke, and E. Athannasoula—for their guidance in program organization.