Institut de recherche sur les lois fondamentales de l'Univers

Construction of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array(ALMA) in Chile is proceeding rapidly with the initial call for proposals expected in the next few months. With an unprecedented combination of sensitivity and resolution, ALMA will revolutionize our view of the cool component of galaxies.  In this presentation
I will provide a brief overview of the science accessible with ALMA focusing in particular on its applications to studies of galactic and extragalactic star formation. I will describe the current status of ALMA and the likely capabilities available for initial observing projects.