MRI: Development of an XRF Laboratory: Integrating Geology Undergraduate Coursework with Geochemical Research

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0115647PutirkaThis grant, made through the Major Research Instrumentation Program, provides partial support of the costs for development of an x-ray fluorescence (XRF) laboratory at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). This grant includes acquisition of a Philips MagiX Pro x-ray fluorescence spectrometer. The new laboratory will represent the only XRF facility in the western PA region, and will thus satisfy a crucial need within the region for a flexible and precise chemical analysis tool. In particular, this laboratory will support a wide range of research activities at IUP, Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh. For reasons of flexibility, this instrument includes a He attachment, which allows for the analysis of liquid and loose powder samples, and a new crystal developed by Philips (PX-9), which increases the intensity gain on transition and rare earth elements by a factor of 1.5-1.8, compared to the LiF (200) crystal. This grant also includes funds for an array of sample preparation equipment, including furnaces, crucibles and a Claise fusion machine for the preparation of glass beads, and a press and ancillary equipment for the preparation of pressed powder pellets. The research activities at IUP that will be supported by this acquisition include: 1) An investigation of the volcanic plumbing systems within the Snake River Plain, Idaho, and at Mauna Kea volcano, Hawaii. 2) An unraveling of the paleoclimate record contained in terrigenous sediments recovered from deep-sea cores. 3) The elucidation of crystal structures and defects of organic and inorganic substances. 4) A study of InAs/InxGa1-xSb and GaN/GaxIn1-x solid solutions, which are being developed as electronic devices. This laboratory facility will also provide a central component to curriculum revisions at IUP that aim toward a seamless incorporation of research and undergraduate coursework. A new course will be developed that will be devoted to the instruction of analytical methods. Several of our existing courses (Mineralogy, Geochemistry, X-ray Crystallography, Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology) will also be revised to incorporate meaningful research components. IUP's existing General Chemistry sequence will also be modified so that students at the freshmen/sophomore level are introduced to XRF analytical techniques; analytical methods will thus be reinforced throughout the undergraduate curriculum. ***