The brand new Experimental Geochemistry Lab is going to be an awesome facility where we can conduct a wide range of experiments, but the space that it’s going into needs more than a little work. The lab space in Williamson hall was formerly occupied by a low-temperature physics lab, part of the larger Microkelvin research facilities operated by the UF Department of Physics. Soon it be home to two Rockland Research Corp. piston cylinders and a Deltech Furnaces 1800 °C controlled atmosphere furnace, along with all of the other equipment that usually goes into an experimental petrology lab. The staff in the Geological Sciences Department started renovations on the lab recently and one of the first steps is to remove the solid concrete wall and pillars that isolated the old physics experiments from vibrations. We’ll be getting a complete reno, with a new floor, coat or two of paint, lights, and new bench space. The reno will probably go past the new calendar year, but I fully expect the lab and experimental equipment to be up and running for next year when, hopefully, the lab group will be growing!
