ASTRONOMY COLLOQUIUM
Eruptive mass loss and the resulting dramatic brightness variations are ubiquitous in the lives of stars, their planetary companions, and their remnants. While these episodes can fundamentally change their evolutionary course, they frequently enshroud them in veils of dust and make them unobservable in the optical, ultraviolet and X-ray bands. In this talk, I will present our efforts toward conducting an all-sky survey of infrared variability, aimed at capturing these poorly observed phases in stellar evolution. I will introduce the WISE Transients Project (WTP), an initiative aimed at an end-to-end exploration of the variable mid-infrared sky using archival data from the NEOWISE sky survey. Reprocessed using state-of-the-art image processing techniques, the NEOWISE data have been repurposed to serve as a transient discovery engine, providing fundamental new insights ranging from the co-evolution of stars and planets to the formation of black holes. I will conclude with an overview of the coming decade of infrared surveys, with both ground-based and space-based instruments set to lead the charge in transient discovery, and new space-based instruments providing exquisite follow-up capabilities.