{"686804":{"#nid":"686804","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Karl Lang Earns Scialog Grant to Advance Critical Minerals Research","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EFrom cell phones to fighter jets, modern technology depends on critical minerals\u0026nbsp;\u2014 yet extracting and processing them\u0026nbsp;often harm the environment and strain supply chains.\u0026nbsp;Understanding how these minerals behave at the atomic level could unlock new ways to stabilize, recycle, and sustain these resources that power our world.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E Assistant Professor\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/people\/lang-karl\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EKarl Lang\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E recently earned a Scialog grant to explore one of the most fundamental questions in mineral science: why some minerals withstand radiation damage without breaking down.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cCritical minerals is a buzzword right now, but what\u2019s interesting is that many of these so-called minerals are actually rare earth elements (REEs),\u201d explains Lang. \u201cWhat we will study is how radiation can help liberate these REEs from ore minerals.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFunding the future\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ELang is one of 50 Scialog Fellows selected for the second generation of\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rescorp.org\/scialog\/sustainable-minerals-metals-materials\/\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;Scialog: Sustainable Minerals, Metals, and Materials\u003C\/a\u003E, a three-year initiative designed to spark bold ideas for addressing how society acquires, uses, and recycles critical materials.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EScialog, which stands for \u201cScience + Dialogue,\u201d is supported by the\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rescorp.org\/\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;Research Corporation for Science Advancement\u003C\/a\u003E, the\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sloan.org\/\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;Alfred P. Sloan Foundation\u003C\/a\u003E, and\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.kavlifoundation.org\/\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;The Kavli Foundation\u003C\/a\u003E. The program funds high-risk, high-reward projects to\u0026nbsp;address scientific challenges of global significance, while supporting dialogue and community-building across fields.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cWhat makes Scialog exciting is that it intentionally brings together scientists from very different fields to tackle a giant, multifaceted problem,\u201d says Lang. \u201cIt\u2019s a fun and creative way to spark ideas that wouldn\u2019t happen in isolation.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ELang and the other Scialog Fellows recently met for a series of focused conversations about the challenges and gaps in current critical minerals knowledge, and by the end of the conference, they were sorted into teams to develop and propose ideas for cross-disciplinary\u0026nbsp;research projects. Eighteen $60,000 grants were ultimately awarded, including one from the Kavli Foundation to Lang and his research partner,\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EClaudia E. Avalos\u003C\/strong\u003E, from New York University. Their project,\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EAn Atomic-Level Perspective on Radiation Damage Annealing with Advanced SSNMR Spectroscopy,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003Ewill investigate how minerals respond to radiation over time and how they can be stabilized or recycled\u0026nbsp;\u2014\u0026nbsp;knowledge vital for sustainable resource management.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtomic-level resilience\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAt Georgia Tech, Lang leads the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gatechtonics.info\/\u0022\u003ETECHtonics Research Group\u003C\/a\u003E, which uses radiometric dating of critical minerals to measure changes in geological Earth\u2019s surface and lithosphere. He will team up with Avalos, a recognized expert in magnetic resonance spectroscopy, combining their talents to study the mineral monazite, an important ore for REEs commonly found in beach sands. In addition to REEs, monazite also contains high levels of uranium and thorium, radioactive elements. Despite this natural radioactivity, monazite can retain a crystal structure for millions of years. This mineral\u2019s unique ability to resist radiation damage may help explain why it is also a valuable ore for REEs.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cYou can think of mineral lattice structures like a cage, and the uranium and thorium are like exploding bombs inside,\u201d says Lang. \u201cDespite the explosions, the cage either doesn\u2019t break at all or, quite possibly, heals itself. We want to understand that process at the atomic level.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ELang hopes that understanding why certain minerals maintain their crystal structure (despite radiation damage) could inform strategies for recycling REEs, improving extraction processes, and designing materials that last longer\u0026nbsp;\u2014\u0026nbsp;advancing science that could shape the future of resource management.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cWe\u2019re using a high-tech tool to study why these minerals don\u2019t break down under radiation damage,\u201d adds Lang. \u201cIt\u2019s not applied research; it\u2019s about answering a fundamental question.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EKarl Lang will investigate why some minerals survive radiation damage\u0026nbsp;\u2014\u0026nbsp;a discovery that could transform how we recycle and sustain the critical resources powering modern technology.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Karl Lang will investigate why some minerals survive radiation damage \u2014 a discovery that could transform how we recycle and sustain the critical resources powering modern technology."}],"uid":"36607","created_gmt":"2025-12-09 16:55:50","changed_gmt":"2025-12-09 17:32:13","author":"ls67","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-12-09T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2025-12-09T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678806":{"id":"678806","type":"image","title":"Karl Lang","body":"\u003Cp\u003EKarl Lang\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1765299372","gmt_created":"2025-12-09 16:56:12","changed":"1765299372","gmt_changed":"2025-12-09 16:56:12","alt":"Man standing in front of grassy area in nature.","file":{"fid":"262889","name":"IMG_0649.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/12\/09\/IMG_0649.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/12\/09\/IMG_0649.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1853717,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/12\/09\/IMG_0649.JPG?itok=gm0fcXIO"}}},"media_ids":["678806"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/frances-rivera-hernandez-lands-nasa-and-scialog-grants-planetary-research-signatures-life","title":"Frances Rivera-Hern\u00e1ndez Lands NASA and Scialog Grants for Planetary Research, Signatures of Life"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/news\/2025\/05\/06\/how-us-can-mine-its-own-critical-minerals-without-digging-new-holes","title":"How the US Can Mine Its Own Critical Minerals \u2014 Without Digging New Holes"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"364801","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS)"}],"categories":[{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"},{"id":"192996","name":"rare earth elements"},{"id":"184997","name":"Scialog"},{"id":"61541","name":"Earth and Atmospheric Sciences"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"194566","name":"Sustainable Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELaura Segraves Smith, writer\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["laura.smith@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}