The Origins of the Universe's Fastest Transients

Whenwe look up at the night sky, we see a static universe. However, observationalsurveys have revealed that our universe is dynamic with a myriad of transientevents. Two of the universe's most fascinating and fastest transients are shortgamma-ray bursts and fast radio bursts. While short gamma-ray bursts originatefrom neutron star mergers and are connected to the revolutionary field ofmulti-messenger astronomy, the precise origins of fast radio bursts remainuncertain despite over hundreds of events known to date. Host galaxies providecrucial environmental context by enabling a wealth of information on theirstellar populations. In this talk, I will discuss these two populations oftransients, mainly through the lens of what we can lear from their host galaxyenvironments. I will also highlight some new results from my group that haveimplications for where the heaviest elements are formed and incorporated intostars, as well as the surprising environment of a distant event.