Synergies in Low Background Radiation Techniques

Monday

8:30 Opening Remarks P. Cushman (U Minn)

8:45-10:30

I. Underground Physics: Screening and ultrapure materials; What is the best we can do?

1. State of the art in underground physics experiments (Borexino)

M. Laubenstein (INFN-LNGS)
2. Whole Body Counting T. Shutt (CWRU)

3. Beta Screening Options R. Schnee (CWRU)

10:30-11:00 Coffee and pastries

11:00-1:00

II. Multi-purpose and Industrial facilities

1. The low background laboratory at the Gran Sasso National Laboratories

M. Laubenstein (INFN, LNGS)

2. Low-level Counting at NIST G. Klouda (NIST)

3. Neutron Activation Analysis G. Klouda for R. Lindstrom (NIST)

4. Low Alpha Materials and Metrology in the IC industry: Current Status and Future Requirements

B. Clark (Honeywell)

5. Early results from a soft-error experiment at Tower-Soudan mine

J. Wilkinson (Medtronics)

1:00-2:15 Lunch

2:15 – 4:00

IV. Applications in Geomicrobiology

1. Life in the Slow Lane

T. Kieft (New Mexico Tech)

2. Microbial Respirometers - current approaches and limitations and future directions:

T. Onstott (Princeton)

III. Applications in Limnology and Hydrology

1. Limits on conventional tritium and tritium/3He dating of groundwaters.

E. Calvin Alexander, Jr. (U. Minnesota)

4:00-4:30 Juice and Cookies

4:30-6:00

2. Vagaries and vexations of determining chronology in lake sediment cores using 210-Pb dating:

S. Shottler (SCRWRS)

3. New directions in limnological studies using cosmogenic radionuclides

E. Brown (Large Lakes Observatory)

6:30 Reception at the Campus Club (Coffman Union)

Tuesday

8:30-10:30

V. Applications in Public Health and Environmental Health & Safety

1. Routine Radiation Analysis:

J. Brenner (MN Department of Health)

2. Radiation Emergencies:

J. Lorenz (MN Department of Health)

VI. Homeland Security Applications

1. Infrastructure and operational requirements for a National Security Laboratory

T. Hossback (Pacific Northwest Nat. Lab)

2. A Scientist looks at high security research: R. Kroeger (Naval Research Lab)

10:30-11:00 Coffee and pastries

11:00-12:30

VII. Applications in Archaeology and Anthropology

1. What Archaeologists Want: A Question Driven Program for Dating Research Archaeology

G. Laden (Anthropology, U. Minnesota)

2. The Common Denominator in Archeological Dating

A. Lucas (NEXTEP Technologies)

12:30-2:00 lunch

2:00 – 3:30

VIII. Facilities and future plans

1. Short review of present status

SnoLab (F. Duncan)

Soudan (P. Cushman)

Kimballton (B. Vogelaar)

Berkeley (K.Lesko)

PNNL & LoMo (T. Hossback)

2. Anti-synergies: What features are incompatible with each other

(e.g. radiotracers vs low bkg? Security vs free access?)

3. Future facilities: multi-site model with integrated funding.

3:30- 5:00

IX. Integration Website Round table with Snacks.

How do we keep the momentum and promote collaboration

Website Functionality and Design.

5:00 – Final Summary and Farewell.