Early Career: Technician Support - Georgia Institute of Technology Cosmogenic Nuclide Geochronology Laboratory

[0929960]该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。这项拨款部分资助乔治亚理工学院宇宙核素地质年代学实验室的一名全职实验室技术员。从地球矿物中宇宙形成核素的浓度得到的日期和侵蚀速率？在地貌学、第四纪地质学、古气候学和构造学等领域产生了革命性的影响。利用加速器质谱法测量微量同位素（如10Be和26Al）浓度的能力，使研究人员能够确定地貌和沉积沉积物的年代，并在数亿年的时间尺度上测量侵蚀速率，这在其他形式的地质年代学中被证明是困难的。因此，宇宙成因核素年代学已成为最广泛使用的第四纪测年技术之一，越来越多的研究人员正在寻找宇宙成因核素的新应用，以确定构造变形、土壤形成、风化和侵蚀的速率，以及过去冰川作用和气候变化的时间和程度。随着应用这项技术的研究人员数量不断增加，对能够有效处理样品的设备的需求也在增加。来自该提案的资金直接支持新佐治亚理工学院样品制备实验室的建立和运营，这是美国东南部唯一的此类设施。全职实验室技术人员的工作包括处理样品，培训学生和管理日常实验室操作，将有助于保持样品处理程序的效率，一致性和安全性。此外，技术人员的职位将有助于继续在实验室进行研究生和本科生教育和培训的强大传统。实验室的使命是推进地球表面过程、古气候和构造学的研究，同时有效地培养下一代地球科学专业的学生。

0929960FrankelThis award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This grant partially funds a full-time laboratory technician for the Georgia Institute of Technology cosmogenic nuclide geochronology laboratory. Dates and erosion rates obtained from the concentrations of cosmogenic nuclides in minerals at Earth?s surface are revolutionizing the fields of geomorphology, Quaternary geology, paleoclimatology, and tectonics. The ability to measure small concentrations of isotopes such as 10Be and 26Al by accelerator mass spectrometry is allowing researchers the ability to date landforms and sedimentary deposits and measure erosion rates on timescales of hundreds to millions of years, something that has proven difficult with other forms of geochronology. As a result, cosmogenic nuclide geochronology has become one of the most widely-used Quaternary dating techniques and an increasingly large number of researchers are finding novel applications of cosmogenic nuclides to determine rates of tectonic deformation, soil formation and weathering, and erosion, along with the timing and extent of past glaciations and climate change. As the number of researchers applying this technique continues to grow, so does the demand for facilities where samples can be processed efficiently. Funds from this proposal directly support the establishment and operation of the new Georgia Tech sample preparation laboratory, which is the only facility of its kind in the southeast U.S A full-time laboratory technician, whose job entails processing samples, training students, and managing day-to-day laboratory operations, will help maintain efficiency as well as consistency and safety in sample processing procedures.. Furthermore, the technician position will help continue the already strong tradition of graduate and undergraduate education and training in the lab. The mission of the laboratory is to advance research in Earth surface processes, paleoclimate, and tectonics, while effectively training the next generation of Earth science students.