Findings and Recommendations - Basic Research Opportunities in Earth Science - page 101

this approach. 23 , 24 , 25 These advantages are exemplified by the successful
University NAVSTAR Consortium (UNAVCO) and the Program for the Array
Seismic Studies of the Continental Lithosphere (PASSCAL). Multiuser facilities
tend to be effective when the instrumentation is standardized and the data
analysis is relatively routine and can be done in high volume.
Recommendation: EAR should seek more resources to support the growing
need for new instrumentation, multiuser analytical facilities, and long-term
observatories and for ongoing support of existing equipment.
Communal facilities should have the resources to provide state-of-the-art
equipment, long-term technician support, and support for visitors and workshops.
A regular mechanism should be established to evaluate the success of multiuser
facilities in meeting the demands of a recognized user community.
Although multiuser analytical facilities are a cost-effective means to support
the expensive instrumentation needed by a broad investigator community, they
are often less effective for developing new technologies or tailoring individual
analyses to specific requirements. This has been especially (but not exclusively)
conspicuous in geochemistry, where much of the field moves forward through a
combination of diverse developments within individual laboratories. Similarly,
multiuser facilities are inappropriate when the analysis of one sample may
adversely affect the analysis of another (e.g., because of blank levels).
The current approach to this problem has been to support a large number of
research laboratories. Young investigators are encouraged to establish
independent laboratories when they are hired into faculty positions. After a period
of initial institutional support, investigators are generally expected to cover
operating costs from outside (usually federal) sources, placing an ever-increasing
burden on NSF. Although this approach has been extremely successful in
developing a robust investigator base, the resulting growth will be difficult to
sustain in the long run. The number of EAR-sponsored laboratories must clearly
be sufficient to support a vibrant research community, but it is becoming
necessary to explore the trade-off between this number and the level of support
available to individual laboratories.
23 A Vision for Geomorphology and Quaternary Science Beyond 2000, results of a
workshop held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, February 6-7, 2000.
24 Research Opportunities in Low-Temperature and Environmental Geochemistry,
results of a workshop held in Boston, Massachusetts, June 5, 1999.
25 Sedimentary Systems in Space and Time: High Priority NSF Research Initiatives in
Sedimentary Geology, results of a workshop held in Boulder, Colorado, March 27-29,
1999.