Technician Support: (U-Th)/He laboratory at the University of Kansas [Phase I]

近年来，含铀和含钍副矿物的(U- th)/He定年作为一种限制上地壳到近地表广泛地质过程的时间和速率的手段引起了极大的兴趣。对高质量低温热年表数据的快速增长的需求超过了目前少数运行实验室的分析能力。大量的研究人员对利用堪萨斯大学的设施和正在进行的合作项目的数量感兴趣，清楚地表达了这一点。满足(U-Th)/He数据需求的最大障碍是没有人员进行分析工作并协助访问科学家。增加一名专职KU (U-Th)/He实验室的全职技术人员将确保实验室的顺利高效运行，大大提高研究生产力和样品吞吐量，并允许实验室参与额外的合作，并接待想要使用实验室的访问科学家和学生。KU (U-Th)/He实验室增加一名全职技术人员代表了对国家和国际热年代学研究基础设施的重要投资，在科学价值和教育影响方面为地球科学界带来了高回报的前景。KU和访问研究生和本科生将与KU (U-Th)/He实验室的技术人员进行一对一的工作，获得宝贵的实践经验，这对他们的智力发展很重要

0414817StockliIn recent years, (U-Th)/He dating of U- and Th-bearing accessory minerals has attracted tremendous interest as a means of constraining the timing and rates of a wide spectrum of upper-crustal to near-surface geological processes. The rapidly increasing demand for high-quality low-temperature thermochronological data exceeds the current analytical capacity of the few operating laboratories. This is clearly expressed by the large number of researchers interested in utilizing the KU facilities and the number of ongoing collaborative projects. The biggest obstacle toward meeting the demand for (U-Th)/He data is the availability of personnel to carry out the analytical work and assist visiting scientists. The addition of a full-time technician dedicated to the KU (U-Th)/He laboratory will ensure the smooth and efficient operation of the laboratory, dramatically accelerate research productivity and sample throughput, and allow the laboratory to engage in additional collaborations and to host visiting scientists and students that want to use the laboratory. The addition of a full-time technician to the KU (U-Th)/He laboratory represents an important investment into the national and international thermochronology research infrastructure with the prospect of a high payoff for the geosciences community in terms of scientific merit and educational impact. KU and visiting graduate and undergraduate students will work one-on-one with the technician in the KU (U-Th)/He laboratory, gaining invaluable hands-on experience important to their intellectual growth.***