THIS PROJECT WILL ANALYZE AND SCIENTIFICALLY EXPLOIT A NUMBER OF SPECTROSCOPIC DATASETS IN THE MID AND FAR INFRARED OBTAINED BY SPITZER (IRS SL/LL MAPPING) HERSCHEL (PACS SPECTROSCOPIC MAPPING) AND SOFIA (GREAT) TOWARD THE SMALL MAGELLANIC CLOUD THE NEAREST LOW METALLICITY ENVIRONMENT (1/5 SOLAR) WITH ACTIVE STAR FORMATION. TO PUT THESE OBSERVATIONS IN CONTEXT THE INSTITUTION WILL COMBINE THEM WITH DATA IN-HAND FROM SPACE AND GROUND BASED FACILITIES: CONTINUUM IMAGING FROM HERSCHEL AND SPITZER FTS OBSERVATIONS FROM HERSCHEL CO OBSERVATIONS FROM ALMA AND APEX HI OBSERVATIONS FROM ASKAP/ATCA AND NEAR-INFRARED IMAGING DONE WITH NEWFIRM. THE GOAL IS TO PUT TOGETHER A COHERENT PICTURE OF THE PHYSICAL CONDITIONS OF THE LOW-METALLICITY ISM NEAR STAR-FORMING REGIONS. MODELING OF THESE OBSERVATIONS WILL YIELD MEASUREMENTS OF THE IONIZING PHOTON RATE AND EMISSION MEASURE FROM HII REGIONS THE HARDNESS OF THE UV FIELD AND THE PHYSICAL CONDITIONS IN THE MOLECULAR CLOUDS THAT SURROUND THEM SUCH AS TEMPERATURE DENSITY AND PRESSURE. THIS PROJECT WILL ALLOW US TO CHARACTERIZE THE CONDITIONS IN STAR FORMING ENVIRONMENTS IN THE SMC AND STUDY THE IMPACT OF METALLICITY ON THE FAR-INFRARED PROPERTIES OF HII REGIONS AND MOLECULAR CLOUDS.