Li Xu and Haiwei Shen inject a formaldehyde sample into the Preparative Capillary Gas Chromatograph.

NOSAMS Graduate Student Internship Program

Each year two internships are awarded to U.S. graduate students for research at the National Ocean Sciences Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (NOSAMS) radiocarbon facility at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The internships involve application of radiocarbon measurements to an important research problem and/or development of new techniques for radiocarbon measurement and provide 2 to 6 weeks at NOSAMS. Available funds cover all analytical costs, a travel allowance, accommodation and subsistence at Woods Hole, but not field work and sampling.

Candidates should submit a two-page proposal outlining the proposed work and motivation by June 15, 2008. Proposals (as pdf files), CVs, and contact information should be sent to Internships@NOSAMS.whoi.edu. Proposals will be judged on the basis of scientific soundness, relevance to capabilities and objectives at NOSAMS, novelty, and scientific impact. Priority will be given to projects involving collaborative research with PI's at NOSAMS and/or those that show promise for follow-on projects. Winners will be notified via e-mail by July 15, 2008. Internships can be used at a mutually agreed time between September 1, 2008 and August 31, 2009.

Haiwei Shen, a graduate student from the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, is using radiocarbon to enhance her studies of formaldehyde in the atmosphere. She spent time here working closely with NOSAMS staff to develop a method to analyze the radiocarbon content of formaldehyde. The data she has generated will allow her to place limits on the relative contributions of biogenic and anthropogenic precursors to formaldehyde.

Andrew Wozniak, a graduate student from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, is studying the contribution of atmospheric organic carbon to rivers and their watersheds. An important part of his project involves characterizing the radiocarbon content of the atmospheric particulate organic matter he collects. At NOSAMS, he is separating the material into water-soluble and insoluble fractions as well as isolating lipid fractions prior to radiocarbon analysis. His data will help us understand the sources of material introduced to rivers and, ultimately, the oceans.