Program: GN-2015B-Q-100

We propose to measure metallicities, [Fe/H], and carbon-abundance ratios, [C/Fe], for a sample of 7582 bright (13 < V < 14) very metal-poor star candidates, by obtaining follow-up medium-resolution spectroscopy of stars selected from the Best & Brightest (B&B) catalog. We plan to use both GMOS spectrographs, exclusively in Poor Weather conditions, to follow-up these candidates, which are available at essentially all RAs in both hemispheres. With estimated [Fe/H] and [C/Fe] in hand, derived by our well-tested spectroscopic analysis pipeline, we will be able to identify many hundreds of new carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars, including representatives of the inner- and outer-halo populations, for which high-resolution spectroscopy can be carried out from the ground with Gemini/GRACES, and from space with HST/STIS or COS. The validated bright non-CEMP stars with [Fe/H] < -2.0 will be used to obtain targets for high-resolution spectroscopic surveys to discover new highly r-process-element enhanced stars, which provide the key to understanding the site and nature of the astrophysical r-process.