Abstract. The Local Universe provides an excellent laboratory for studying the physical processes of star formation and galaxy evolution. In this colloquium, I will present results from 3 of my recent publications. Firstly, I will show that the observed uniformity in the HI star formation efficiency (SFR/HI) can be reproduced via our galaxy models which consist of constant marginally-stable disks. Although it is true that the majority of galaxies have a fairly uniform star formation efficiency, our early science CO observations from the Large Millimeter Telescope of a collisional ring galaxy show that this is not always the case. It is generally understood that the molecular-to-neutral gas fraction of galaxies increases as gas density increases. However, we do not find this in ring galaxies. Finally, as we approach the era of very large radio surveys which will probe down to lower radio power, we will begin to see an increase in contribution from star forming galaxies. I will show that the radio-quiet AGN contribution may not be negligible and that care should be taken in assuming that the observed radio-quiet emission is due solely to star formation.
