[meteorite-list] Keck Foundation Gives $1.5 Million for New Cosmochemistry Lab at UH

[Ron Baalke]

http://www.uhf.hawaii.edu/NewsEvents/2005/news-press_050518.asp

University of Hawai'i Foundation Press Release

Contact
Lori Abe - Associate VP for Communications & Marketing
Phone: 808-956-6774
Email: Lori.Abe at uhf.hawaii.edu

W.M. Keck Foundation Gives $1.5 Million for New Cosmochemistry Lab at UH
May 19, 2005

(Honolulu, Hawai'i) - The University of Hawai'i Foundation has received
a $1.5 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation to support the
creation of a new cosmochemistry laboratory whose center piece will be a
state-of-the-art ion microprobe. An ion microprobe is an instrument that
allows not only determination of the trace element contents of
microscopically small samples, but also their isotopic compositions. The
instrument and laboratory will be located in the Hawaii Institute of
Geophysics and Planetology of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and
Technology (SOEST) at UH Manoa. The laboratory will be amongst the most
advanced of its kind in the world, enabling our internationally renowned
scientists to work on problems such as the formation and evolution of
stars, planets and the solar system.

Interdisciplinary research will be the heart of the cosmochemistry
laboratory. Perhaps more than any other field, cosmochemistry is an
interdisciplinary science connecting such fields as meteoritics,
astrophysics, mineralogy, and isotope studies (through studies of
interstellar grains), planetary geology, geophysics and petrology
(through studies of lunar rocks and Martian meteorites), and studies of
interstellar organic materials, early life on Earth, and geochemistry of
Martian meteorites (through the new subdiscipline of astrobiology). The
new ion microprobe will be the catalyst that ignites research among
cosmochemists and astronomers to fuel studies of the origin of the solar
system, including the Earth.

Commented UH Manoa Chancellor Peter Englert, "An award of this caliber
by a prestigious institution, such as the W.M. Keck Foundation,
highlights both the quality and range of research expertise at the
university and is a testament to our growing reputation within the
international scientific community."

Cosmochemistry focuses on laboratory analyses of meteorites, lunar
samples, interplanetary dust particles, and interstellar grains, as well
as experimental simulations of planetary, nebular, and circumstellar
processes, and a great deal of what is known about the origin and
evolution of extraterrestrial bodies is due to these efforts. The
cosmochemistry program at the University of Hawai`i has direct
connections with many current and planned spacecraft missions that will
return samples, such as Genesis, Stardust, and Mars sample return
missions. Equally important, though less direct, the program also
provides information critical for the interpretation of remote sensing
data. Moreover, the cosmochemistry program also addresses questions
posed by materials derived from places where no spacecraft could ever
go, such as into the deep interiors of stars or planets, or back in time.

The new laboratory will build on the success of the cosmochemistry
program and open new doors of research. The university has made a
concerted effort to foster the program over the years and will support
the laboratory with a one-time $ 1 million commitment. In addition,
acquisition of the ion microprobe for the laboratory was selected as one
of seven proposals, out of a total of 17 submitted, approved for funding
in 2004 through NASA's Sample Return Laboratory Instruments and Data
Analysis Program (SRLIDAP). This program will has provided an additional
$ 1.4 million grant to support the new laboratory.

Dr. Klaus Keil, interim dean of SOEST, stated, "With the funding for the
Cameca ims 1280 ion microprobe secured, it will be possible for our
research group to really make a quantum leap forward in the field of
cosmochemistry." Keil added, "We have a stellar group of core
investigators and are particularly excited that we were able to add Dr.
Gary Huss, formerly of Arizona State University, and Dr. Kazu Nagashima,
formerly of the Tokyo Institute of Technology, both world-renowned
experts in ion microprobe analysis and cosmochemistry, to our team."

About the W.M. Keck Foundation

Based in Los Angeles, the W. M. Keck Foundation was established in 1954
by the late W. M. Keck, founder of the Superior Oil Company. The
Foundation's grant making is focused primarily on pioneering efforts in
the areas of medical research, science and engineering. The Foundation
also maintains a program to support undergraduate science and humanities
education and a Southern California Grant Program that provides support
in the areas of health care, civic and community services, education and
the arts, with a special emphasis on children.

About the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology

The School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) was
established by the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii in 1988.
SOEST brings together in a single focused ocean, earth sciences and
technology group, some of the nation's highest quality academic
departments, research institutes, federal cooperative programs, and
support facilities to meet challenges in the ocean and earth sciences,
including the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP).
Scientists at SOEST are supported by both state and federal funds as
they endeavor to understand the subtle and complex interrelations of the
seas, the atmosphere, and the earth.

About the University of Hawai'i Foundation

The University of Hawai'i Foundation is an independent,
university-related, nonprofit organization whose purpose is to raise
private funds according to priorities determined by the academic
leadership of the University of Hawai'i and approved by the Board of
Regents. Founded in 1955, the Foundation provides a full range of fund
raising and alumni relations services for all 10 UH campuses. For more
information on the Foundation, visit www.uhf.hawaii.edu .