Name:	Anderson, Loren
Email:	loren.anderson@mail.wvu.edu
Institution:	West Virginia University
Title:	The WISE Catalog of Galactic HII Regions
Topic:	Discoveries
Abstract:	Using WISE 12 and 22 micron data, we compiled a catalog of over 8000 Galactic HII regions and HII region candidates by searching for their characteristic mid-infrared (MIR) morphology. This is the most complete catalog yet of massive star formation regions in the Milky Way. WISE has sufficient sensitivity to detect the MIR emission from H II regions located anywhere in the Galactic disk, as our subsequent observations have proven. We are following up the candidates with radio recombination line observations using the Green Bank Telescope, the Very Large Array, and the Australia Telescope Compact Array. I will provide an update to our progress completing the census of Galactic HII regions, show our observations that discovered the most distant Galactic star formation regions, and describe our work using this sample to understand the Galactic HII region luminosity function and the Galactic star formation rate. The catalog can be found on our interactive web site here: http://astro.phys.wvu.edu/wise .