In the next decade, the synthesis of data from high and low redshifts
promises to reveal the first galaxies in great detail. I will present
new results from a hybrid N-body/semi-analytic model of the formation
of the Milky Way's inner halo, extending back into the epoch of
reionization. This model enables new explorations of the
multidimensional data space provided by modern surveys of metal-poor
stars, and relates these quantities directly to key physical processes
that govern galaxy and star formation during the earliest phases of
Galactic history. The stellar IMF is one of the key uncertainties at
high redshift, and I will show how it can be constrained with present
and future abundance and kinematic measurements. I will also describe
how measurements of "first galaxies" from old and metal-poor Galactic
stellar populations complement direct observations with NASA's
forthcoming James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
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