Acquisition of Instrumentation for the Interdisciplinary Drew Sedimentology Facility

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Riihimaki0958398This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This MRI-R2 award provides $129,854 in funding over 12 months to acquire sedimentology facility instrumentation at Drew University. The core instrument will be a particle size analyzer which will be used to measure stream, lake and eolian sediment samples over a wide particle size range (0.04-2000 µm). Particles will largely be selected from sources which will allow establishing climate change and watershed-scale dynamics proxies. Also requested are a balance, a polarizing microscope with digital camera system, a muffle furnace, and a convection oven. The particle size analyzer will allow fundamental sedimentological measurements on proxy materials to better understand climate change and watershed-scale dynamics. Projects include developing climate change records for Glacier National Park since the last glacial maximum (~18,000 years ago), establishing fine-scale contaminant input histories for sediments in Lake Tahoe and determining the efficacy of treatment or mitigation strategies, producing high-resolution aerosol measurements to better understand climatic impacts, and reconstructing environmental conditions leading to prehistoric trade routes in coastal Ecuador. The institution has a strong background in collaborative research for Earth and environmental science and has recently established an Environmental Studies and Sustainability program. The requested instrument produces rapid results and will be incorporated into the classroom setting. Students will be used in field sample collection and will be given access to the equipment for undergraduate research projects. A program for 25 gifted high-school students will also be served by the instrument. The instrument will be housed in existing laboratory space. The instrumentation requires minimal training, therefore the PIs will check out new users. Operational costs are thought to be minimal (very few consumables) and will be covered by departmental budgets. Outside users will be charged to run samples. ***