Galactic chemical evolution is a multidisciplinary topic that involves nuclear physics, stellar
evolution, galaxy evolution, and cosmology. Observations, experiments, and theories need to work
together in order to build a comprehensive understanding of how the chemical elements synthesized in
astronomical events are ejected and spread inside galaxies and recycled into new generations of stars.
Nuclear physics provides nuclear reaction rates for nucleosynthesis calculations, stellar models
provide the composition of stellar ejecta, galaxy models follow the evolution of chemical species
driven by multiple stellar populations, cosmological simulations dictate how galaxies form and evolve
in general, and observations provide constraints to test and improve numerical recipes driven by
theories. During this talk, I will focus on the field of galactic chemical evolution and present our
efforts to create permanent connections between different fields of research (including
nucleosynthesis and gravitational wave physics). In particular, I will present the use of statistical
tools to quantify uncertainties, the impact using different galaxy models, the origin of the
r-process, a possible
production site for odd-Z elements, the contribution of the i-process to the solar elemental
composition, and our effort to highlight nuclear astrophysics in a cosmological context.
Our ultimate goal is to better understand the origin of the elements in the universe and to explain
the diverse chemical evolution patterns observed in nearby galaxies.
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