This award will enhance the capability for measurements of short-lived naturally-occurring and anthropogenic radionuclides in environmental materials and their scientific applications in a variety of research projects. Radionuclides of particular interest include members of the 238-U and 232-Th decay series, cosmogenic radionuclides such as 7-Be, and nuclear-weapons fallout radionuclides such as 137-Cs. Precise measurements of these radionuclides at environmental levels are useful in tracing reactions and kinetics of mass transport in geochemical systems. Emphasis will be given to ongoing projects involving multidisciplinary investigations of soil responses to climate change, the behavior of halogenated organic compounds in lake and river sediments, and the behavior of radionuclides in aerosols, soils, and aquifers. In addition, new research areas will be explored in which novel applications of short-lived radionuclides in earth and environmental sciences will be developed by a multidisciplinary team of researchers.
Few universities in the United States have the capability for training in the precise measurement of environmental radioactivity and its applications in basic research in the earth and environmental sciences. The University of Illinois at Chicago provides this opportunity to one of the most diverse student populations in the nation. Interdisciplinary education and training in environmental radioactivity is valuable not only for basic research by which to better understand our world, but also it is increasingly pertinent to global energy needs and human sustainability. Basic research in nuclear power, a clean and cost-effective energy source, is being revived as part of the nation's strategy for energy independence and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Advances in the technologies of energy extraction, nuclear waste minimization and remediation, and long-term monitored storage will require a new workforce who can apply fundamental knowledge of radioactivity to solve urgent problems in the protection of environmental quality and realistic evaluations of public health risks.
This award was used for the purchase and installation of a new gamma spectrometry system based on a well-type high-purity Germanium detector and associated electronics for digital signal processing and multichannel analysis. This instrumentation enhanced the capabilities of the Environmental Isotope Geochemistry Laboratory in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago, in particular for the measurement of environmental radioactivity at natural levels. This facility is used for research, education, and training of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in degree programs within the department and in collaborating departments and institutions. The new gamma spectrometry system has been installed, calibrated, and used continuously for research for nearly one year. There was an error on the part of the vendor which resulted in having them ship us the wrong model detector initially, which delayed our order by about six months, hence the no-cost extension request. The new gamma spectrometer has been performing to specifications and has been used in several research projects, including three NSF-funded projects. Samples analyzed in the facility since the detector was received have included: (1) soil cores from the Oak Ridge FACE site, to investigate the response of soil biological communities to elevated CO2; (2) sediment cores from the Great Lakes and from polluted waterways in the Chicago region, to investigate sedimentation rates and biodegradation of persistent organic pollutants; (3) cores of permafrost active layers from the Toolik Lake LTER area (North Slope, Alaska), to investigate the effect of climate change on tundra plants and atmosphere-lan surface carbon exchange; (4) monthly aerosol samples collected in central Illinois; (5) groundwater samples from Egypt to investigate abundances and geochemical behavior of Ra isotopes; and (6) river water samples from metropolitan Chicago to investigate the abundance and transport of medical isotopes (e.g. 131I) discharged with effluent from wastewater treatment plants. Four graduate students and two undergraduate students were trained in the techniques of gamma spectrometry and in the analysis and interpretation of data obtained by gamma spectrometry. Results obtained by gamma spectrometry during the course of this project have been disseminated through presentations at scientific conferences, and are being prepared for publication in scientific journals.
