My main research interests are the study of star formation processes and the interaction between star formation and the interstellar medium in local star-forming galaxies. Among the open issues are the duration, self-triggering, and propagation of bursts of star formation, the metal enrichment of the ISM and IGM, the gas depletion timescales, the link between young super star clusters and old globular cluster, the connection between the high redshift galaxies and the present-day counterparts. I am tackling a subset of these issues (the spatial and temporal evolution of starbursts and the effects of dust obscuration on the observables) from an observational point of view using multiwavelength spectroscopic and imaging data, from UV to far-infrared to radio.