This 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.
