In this contribution I present the main research activities of the IAC ``Stellar Populations in Galaxies'' research Group, with emphasis on the subtopics directly related with the study of the evolution of nearby galaxies. In particular, I discuss preliminary results of ongoing research on the Magellanic Clouds using deep ground-based observations

By mapping both the stellar kinematics and absorption-line strengths in a two-dimensional area, integral-field spectroscopy allows us to directly associate dynamical structures, such as disks or counter-rotating components, to changes in the stellar population. Using data from both the SAURON survey and OASIS follow-up survey, we explore the

Elliptical galaxies in Hickson Compact Groups (HCGs) are compared with their counterparts in the field. The stellar populations have been studied with two alternative models and reduction strategies to ensure the robustness of the results. Furthermore, great care has been taken to correct for emission contamination by Balmer lines, used to

Measurements of the global star formation history of the universe greatly benefit from the combination of independent star formation rate (SFR) indicators, and from the use of a robust SFR tracer over a large redshift range to calibrate other SFR indicators accesible at redshifts where the first one is not available. The Hα luminosity is a well

The SAURON team recently completed an integral-field survey of nearby early-type galaxies. Relying primarily on the ionised-gas and stellar linestrength (age, metallicity, and overabundance) maps, I will briefly review the evidence for recent star formation in those objects. Particular attention will be paid to the apparent relationship between

The Nordic Near-Earth Object Network (Nordic NEON) observing program was established to obtain knowledge of the physical and dynamical properties of near-Earth objects (NEOs). Photometric and astrometric observations have been carried out at the Nordic Optical Telescope since June 2004. By collaborating with other observing programs and applying