This award will partially support the GEORAMAN 2004 Conference: the Sixth International Conference on Raman Spectroscopy Applied to Earth and Planetary Science. The conference will take place from June 6-11, 2004 at the East-West Center located on the Manoa campus of the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii with an optional volcano field trip on June 12th to the Big Island. The emphasis of this multidisciplinary conference is on the state-of-the-art developments on such topics as micro- Raman spectroscopic analysis of rocks and minerals at ambient and high pressures and temperatures, fluid inclusions, field applications of Raman spectroscopy, etc. It is intended to highlight advance instrumentation and its connections with interdisciplinary research areas, and brings researchers and graduate students together for in-depth discussions on all aspects of Raman spectroscopic analysis in earth and planetary science. The fields of nano-Raman and remote Raman analysis are recently established and are still fast growing areas of Raman spectroscopic analysis. New developments with a very broad spectrum of applications, such as multi-channel near-IR Raman spectroscopy, UV resonance Raman spectroscopy, and x-ray Raman spectroscopy, have found their important role in understanding structures and vibrational properties of earth and extra-terrestrial materials, biominerals, and in identifying minerals using Raman fingerprints in a host of environments including hydrothermal, ambient and high temperature and pressure and ancient arts and artifacts. This forum for inter-disciplinary research is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
The requested funds will be used to rent conference equipment, publish the proceedings, and help support the attendance of graduate students, young scientists and invited speakers. A key broader impact of this conference is providing common links and tools to other areas of Earth and space sciences, natural and life sciences, and engineering. The GEORAMAN conference will also provide an excellent opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students, young scientists and engineers, experts and non-Raman specialists to learn about the latest development in nano-, micro- and remote Raman techniques, and wide variety of applications including areas of interest in Earth, planetary and environmental science.
