Early Career: Acquisition of a He system for (U-Th)/He thermochronology at the University of Colorado, Boulder

这项早期职业奖励将用于购买一套氦自动脱气、同位素稀释和测量氦的系统，用于科罗拉多大学博尔德分校地质科学系的一个新的(U-Th)/氦热年代学设施。这项奖励还将为为期三年的技术人员支持提供资金，并已制定了一项计划，为致力于该设施的这名新技术人员提供未来替代支持来源。除了脱气矿物和分析He的能力外，CU现在已经建立了(U-Th)/He分析工作所需的所有其他设备和程序，包括矿物分离和选择、U-Th加标和矿物溶解以及ICPMS的U-Th分析。这项奖励将使CU作为一个完整的(U-Th)/他设施高效地上线。(U-Th)/He热年代学是一个继续将其应用扩展到一系列日益广泛的地球科学问题的领域。使用这一工具进行创新研究的潜力正在增长，地球科学界对这些数据的需求也在不断增加。在CU-Boulder的(U-Th)/He设施的目标是提供分析能力，以支持现有和计划的研究计划，支持CU教职员工和落基山脉地区大学的研究计划，并为学生、博士后研究员和教授提供热年代学技术的实践培训。在CU-Boulder的(U-Th)/He设施将在培训本科生、研究生和专业水平的科学家应用和解释地质年代学和热年代学数据方面产生重大影响。作为论文研究项目的一部分，将特别努力为学生提供热年代学程序的实践经验。落基山地区目前没有(铀-钍)/氦实验室，该设施将扩大该地区的分析能力。CU的一个热年代学设施将进一步加强PI正在进行的努力，以便在她的本科生和研究生教学中纳入关于深度时间的有效教学方法。PI在她的实验室指导女性方面有着坚实的记录，并计划通过现有的NSF资助的非洲项目来促进少数族裔的培训。

This early career award will fund the acquisition of a He system for automated degassing, isotope dilution and measurementof He for use in a new (U-Th)/He thermochronology facility in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado (CU), Boulder. This award will also fund three-years of technician support, and a plan is in place for future alternative sources of support for this new technician dedicated to this facility. With the exception of the capacity to degas minerals and analyze He, all other equipment and procedures necessary for (U-Th)/He analytical work are now established at CU, including protocols for mineral separation and selection, U-Th spiking and mineral dissolution, and U-Th analysis by ICPMS. Thisaward will allow CU to come online efficiently as a complete (U-Th)/He facility. (U-Th)/He thermochronology is a field that continues to expand its application to a broadening array of earth science problems. The potential for innovative studies using this tool is growing and the demand for these data by the earth science community is only increasing. The goals of a (U-Th)/He facility at CU-Boulder would be to provide the analytical capacity to support existing and planned research initiatives, support the research initiatives of CU faculty members and universities in the Rocky Mountain region, and provide hands-on training for students, postdoctoral fellows and professors in thermochronology techniques.A (U-Th)/He facility at CU will have a significant impact in training scientists at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional level in the application and interpretation of geochronology and thermochronology data. A particular effort will be made to provide students with hands-on experience in thermochronology procedures as part of thesis research projects. No (U-Th)/He lab exists currently in the Rocky Mountain region, and this facility would expand the analytical capabilities in the region. A thermochronology facility at CU would further enhance the PI's ongoing efforts to incorporate effective approaches to teaching about deep time in her undergraduate and graduate teaching. The PI has a solid record of mentoring women in her lab, and has plans to facilitate the training of minorities through an existing NSF-funded project in Africa.