Dear colleagues,

We are announcing a workshop on:

Advances in synchrotron-based research towards understanding the structure, evolution, and dynamics of Earth and planetary interiors

Save the dates : August 31 – September 2, 2021. Registration is open at the workshop website.

As recently announced, the NSF-EAR is soliciting proposals to develop, manage, operate, and support user access to U.S. synchrotron-based and supporting laboratory capabilities necessary to advance Earth sciences research and training (https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2021/nsf21592/nsf21592.pdf).

The new single lead organization will manage currently supported synchrotron facilities (operated by GSECARS and COMPRES) and develop new capabilities to address priority science questions and related infrastructure recommendations such as those identified in the report: Earth in Time (https://doi.org/10.17226/25761).

In the light of this solicitation, we are organizing a workshop (hybrid or virtual mode) to address future opportunities to advance geomaterials research at high pressures, temperatures, and strain rates. We encourage everyone who plans to utilize synchrotron-based and supporting sample analytical capabilities in their research to participate in the workshop. Graduate student and post-doctoral scholar participation is particularly encouraged.

Topics to be addressed:

      (1)   Current state-of-the-art synchrotron capabilities for studies of Earth and planetary materials at elevated conditions, from crust to the core and beyond. 

      (2)   Novel technological developments and capabilities that will boost Earth and planetary sciences research, especially in view of recent and planned upgrades to US synchrotron facilities.

      (3)   New approaches to foster engagement and expansion of the user community, including to traditionally underrepresented constituencies.

      (4)   User community needs for cyberinfrastructure and data services.

Dates: August 31- September 2 (Tuesday – Thursday, 10.00 - 19.00 CDT)

1st day – Overview of current capabilities, open discussion

2nd day – Future scientific directions, open discussion

3rd day – Novel technological developments, open discussion, summary

 

Workshop Organizers are:
Vitali Prakapenka and Yanbin Wang (GSECARS/Univ. Chicago)
Donald Weidner (Stony Brook University)
Quentin Williams (University of California Santa Cruz)
Anat Shahar (The Carnegie Institution for Science)
Susannah Dorfman (Michigan State University)
Ercan Alp (Argonne National Laboratory)

Workshop local coordinator: Stella Chariton (GSECARS/Univ. Chicago)

For additional information about community response to the NSF solicitation, see:  
https://gsecars.uchicago.edu/synchrotron-geoscience/
Suggestions and comments may be directed to the organizers at 
https://gsecars.uchicago.edu/education-and-outreach/advances-in-synchrotron-based-research/