The Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey

Massive star formation remains one of the primary
unresolved problems in Galactic astronomy.  Massive stars are
typically far away and form deeply embedded in dusty molecular clouds.
Recent development of bolometer arrays has made it possible to
observe the dust continuum directly at millimeter wavelengths. The
BGPS is one of the first blind surveys of the Galactic plane in the
dust continuum.  It has revealed thousands of previously unknown
clumps where massive stars are likely to form.  I will discuss the
survey and data reduction methods and present measurements of the
clump mass function from the outer Galaxy region W5 and a
literature-selected sample in the inner Galaxy.  I will also outline
some of the projects using BGPS data that are currently underway,
including direct measurements of gas temperature and density using
ammonia and formaldehyde.