Back to News and Notices Notice to External Users of the Stanford University/
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Ion Probe
On October 1, 2007, user fees for external users (non- Stanford/USGS) will increase to $1700/day (24 hours). Please plan accordingly in budgets for future proposals.
Background:
Stanford University and USGS have agreed to implement a new user fee structure for the Stanford/USGS Ion Probe Laboratory. Beginning October 1, 2007, the user fee for external users of the ion probe will increase from $1500/day (24 hours) to $1700/day. User fees partially support annual operating costs for the laboratory and a modest contribution to capital funds that will cover long-term maintenance and repair costs. This is the first external user fee increase since the laboratory opened nearly a decade ago.
In early 2007, Stanford University and USGS convened a panel to review both the scientific and operational aspects of the Ion Probe Laboratory. The review panel consisted of scientists from the USGS, Stanford, and the external community. In general, the reviewers were quite complimentary about the laboratory accessibility, service, scientific quality, and productivity. External users are an important component of the scientific quality and productivity. Most panel recommendations dealt with strengthening our ability to maintain a productive laboratory as a resource for the scientific community into the future. The increase in external user fees responds in part to one of the panel recommendations.
The Stanford/USGS Ion Probe Laboratory has welcomed external users from the U.S. and other nations since the laboratory first became fully operational in 1999. On average over the past 5 years, external users accounted for more than 40 percent of research use (U.S.––30 percent; international––10 percent). User fees supply the only source of external financial support to defray operation and maintenance cost for the laboratory. Even at the increased rates, external use fees reimburse only about 20 percent of the annual cost of the laboratory, while the external scientific community accounts for significantly higher percentage of laboratory use. Stanford University and the USGS directly support the majority of salary, facility, and other laboratory costs, keeping external user fees approximately commensurate with those of laboratories designated as National Ion Microprobe Facilities by the National Science Foundation.
We appreciate your continued support as external users of the Stanford/USGS Ion Probe Laboratory. If you have any questions, please contact Joe Wooden (650-725-6536; jwooden@usgs.gov) or Stephan Graham (650-723-0507; graham@pangea.stanford.edu), Laboratory Co-Directors.