We have selected a list of 45 Herbig Ae/Be-type candidates on the base of their IRAS colors and their spectral types. We propose the presence of a broad infrared excess as a defining criterion for these stars, rather than the detection of circumstellar nebulosity. In this way, our selection also includesmore evolved young stars, that are no longer embedded in their star-forming region. A few ob...

Given their proximity and age differences, nearby groups of young stars are valuable laboratories for investigations of disk evolution and diversity. The estimated 10-Myr age of groups like the TW Hydrae Association provides a strong constraint on disk evolution timescales and fills a significant gap in the age sequence between 1-Myr-old T Tauri stars in molecular clouds and 50-Myr-old nearby o...