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

近年来，含U和Th副矿物的(U-Th)/He测年引起了人们的极大兴趣，作为一种限制地壳上部到近地表广泛地质过程的时间和速率的手段。对高质量低温热年代学数据的需求迅速增长，超出了少数几个运行实验室目前的分析能力。对利用科罗拉多大学设施感兴趣的大量研究人员和正在进行的合作项目的数量清楚地表明了这一点。满足(U-Th)/He数据需求的最大障碍是是否有人员进行分析工作和协助来访的科学家。KU(U-Th)/He实验室增加了一名全职技术人员，将确保实验室平稳高效地运行，极大地提高研究生产率和样品吞吐量，并允许实验室参与更多的合作，并接待希望使用该实验室的来访科学家和学生。KU(U-Th)/He实验室增加了一名全职技术人员，这是对国家和国际热年代学研究基础设施的一项重要投资，有望在科学价值和教育影响方面为地球科学界带来高回报。KU和来访的研究生和本科生将在KU(U-Th)/He实验室与技术人员一对一合作，获得对他们的智力成长非常重要的宝贵实践经验。*

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.***