Geochronology Training & AGeS Initiative

An important mission of our lab is to provide training in geochronology data acquisition and interpretation to those outside our research group at CU. We accomplish this through several major avenues.

CU TRaIL Visitors

We routinely welcome visitors to the CU TRaIL, including undergraduates, graduate students, and senior scientists. Our visitors gain experience sample preparation and are exposed to the steps associated with (U-Th)/He analysis. We have produced data for more than 200 scientists and students and generate thousands of (U-Th)/He analyses annually.

AGeS (Advancing GEochronology Science, Spaces, & Systems) Initiative

I am the lead-PI and co-director of the NSF-funded AGeS3 (Advancing GEochronology Science, Spaces, & Systems) Initiative (Flowers and Arrowsmith, 2022), and was the lead on two previous NSF grants to found and implement the AGeS1 and AGeS2 programs (Flowers et al., 2018). The goals of AGeS3 are to increase access to geochronology data and expertise, to support and grow the geochronology community, and to promote inclusive and collaborative science. This is being accomplished through a trio of micro-funding programs that will make a total of ~160 strategic micro-awards of $8-$15k each. Sixty-nine labs and ~120 senior geochronologists comprise the AGeS lab network. AGeS-Grad has funded 99 collaborative geochronology projects between graduate students and labs averaging ~$8200 each, and seen 374 proposals submitted over 7 proposal cycles. We launched the AGeS-DiG (Diversity in Geochronology) program in 2022, aimed at expanding access to geochronology for those underrepresented in the Earth sciences. During its first proposal cycle AGeS-DiG funded 6 projects averaging ~$14,350 each and saw 16 submitted proposals. The AGeS-TRaCE (TRaining and Community Engagement) program is a new micro-funding opportunity that will support community-driven ideas for addressing geochronology needs, with a first proposal cycle in 2024.

AGeS-cubed_Structure_DiG_revise

Short Courses on Geochronology and Thermochronology

I have co-organized several short courses on geochronology and thermochronology:

  • “AGeS Geochronology Workshop”. 1.5 day GSA short course held in the Dept of Geological Sciences at CU-Boulder before the GSA Annual Meeting in Denver, October 2022. Co-organized with Ramon Arrowsmith (ASU) and Jim Metcalf (CU-Boulder). This workshop gathered 8 AGeS team members, 10 invited speakers, 19 AGeS awardees, and 16 attendees from the broader community. The symposium included presentations by invited experts, updates from AGeS awardees about their projects, and broader discussions about community needs for geochronology.
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Jim Metcalf explaining thermal history modeling of (U-Th)/He data at our 2013 (U-Th)/He thermochronology short course at the CU TRaIL.
  •  “An Introduction to Low-Temperature Thermochronology.” 1.25-day short course at the African Earth Observatory Network, Port Elizabeth, South Africa August 2013. Attended by 19 diverse African graduate students and postdocs. Co-organized with CU-Boulder PhD student Jess Stanley.
  •  “An Introduction to the Theory and Methods of (U-Th)/He Thermochronology.” 1-day GSA short course at the CU TRaIL October 2013. Co-organized with Metcalf.