This project will acquire a high-sensitivity gamma spectroscopy equipment for the establishment of a state-of-the-art research and teaching facility in the area of advanced radiation spectroscopy. The renewed interest in nuclear energy, as well as the growing applications of nuclear technology in a multitude of medical and commercial fields, has created a pressing need within the scientific community to modernize and extend low-level radiation measurement capabilities in order to carry out research and to adequately train the next generation of nuclear professionals. The gamma spectroscopy instrument to be acquired in this project is of proven utility for making ultra-low radiation measurements of the type needed over a wide range of emission energies. Presently, there are only a handful of facilities of this caliber in the world located primarily in Western Europe and Asia. Thus the advanced facility to be developed in this project will have a positive impact on researchers in the United States by expanding their ability to receive funding for their work and to carry out a wider variety of radiation research efforts. The proposed instrument will be housed in a dedicated room in a recently completed, multi-disciplinary research center on the University of Nevada - Las Vegas campus and access would be tailored to maximize the availability of this facility to a broad spectrum of researchers and other interested parties. It is expected that subsequent operational improvements in the system would provide additional and uniquely valuable training, learning, and teaching experiences in the field of radiation metrology.
