Connecting Star Formation to Interstellar Medium Components of the Inner Halo in Nearby Galaxies

The mechanisms by which star-forming galaxies interact with their surroundings are instrumental in understanding their evolution. The goal of this dissertation is to explore the relationships between star formation and matter in the inner-halo regions of nearby spiral galaxies. I use deep 21-cm observations of NGC 4559 from HALOGAS to quantify extraplanar gas characteristics. I discuss the possible relationship between a large Hi hole and a gas filament in the `forbidden' region of the p-v diagram along the major axis. Additionally. I use Ha and 22 micron imaging of a subset of three galaxies in the CHANG-ES VLA radio continuum survey to determine the best methods for SFR estimation. and thus thermal radio continuum emission prediction in edge-on galaxies. I found evidence for 22 micron extinction. causing standard SFR. calibrations to under-estimate SFR, in edge-on galaxies. I analyze this extinction using an expanded sample from the IRAS R.BGS. and find that edge-on galaxy 25 micron to 100 micron flux ratios are systematically lower than that of face-on galaxies by a factor of 1.36, representing an average extinction in edge-on galaxies. I apply this as an extinction correction to existing SFR calibrations. After separating the thermal component to the radio continuum, I find evidence for a steepening of the non-thermal spectral index with vertical distance from galaxy disks. Lastly, I led an Ha narrowband imaging project using the ARCTIC imaging camera on the APO 3.5-m Telescope targeting CHANG-ES galaxies without pre-existing Halpha imaging of the entirety of their disks. I use these new Ha measurements in conjunction with the updated SFR, calibration to re-calculate SFR for the entire CHANG-ES sample and explore its relation to radio continuum properties.