This grant supports the UCLA ion microprobe as a national facility for research in the earth and planetary sciences by enabling access to qualified external investigators and supporting continued development of analytical methods that take advantage of the unique strengths of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) for in situ isotopic analyses. Our vision is that costly geochemical tools, such as the CAMECA ims 1270 ion microprobe, should be a community resource supported in centers with the scientific and technical expertise needed to fully exploit their potential. Prior NSF support has led to numerous significant discoveries in fields ranging from tectonics and igneous processes to sedimentology, paleoclimatology and paleobiology, the earliest history of the Earth and the origin and early evolution of the Solar System. In the current grant period, our goal is to ensure that the nation's geochemists, cosmochemists, and geochronologists continue to have access to our world-leading facilities at a level commensurate with our historic productivity, provide UCLA scientists the resources to continue to develop and refine existing and new SIMS methods for research in geochemistry, cosmochemistry, and geochronology, and undertake instrument modifications that lead to improvements in data acquisition and expanded capabilities that facilitate new types of investigations. Research training will continue to be a high priority and UCLA scientists will engage in synergistic activities both locally and nationally, including professional programs and K-12 education and outreach.
