Title: Radio Astronomy and Spectroscopy: Bell labs to ALMA

Abstract: The number of known molecular species in circumstellar envelopes and the interstellar medium is now ~250. The first spectroscopic discovery of CH in 1937 at optical wavelengths has now advanced to complex organic molecules, cations and anions, and even Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the Buckyball C60. This talk will focus on the history of telescopes, spectrometers, and spectroscopic techniques employed in astronomy as well as laboratory efforts to establish new techniques for measuring new species of interest to accompany observers and the detailed path of molecular observations on the ground from Bell labs to ALMA.