MRI: Acquisition of a High Resolution Hybrid Mass Spectrometry System for the Next Generation of Multidisciplinary Environmental Research, Graduate Education and Student Training

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The PI requests MRI RAPID funding to acquisition of a state-of-the-art high-resolution hybrid mass spectrometry system and associated peripherals (LC-MSn) as a shared-use facility at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) and in the Southern Maryland region. The LC-MSn instrumentation will be used for structural characterization and quantitative analysis of a diverse suite of polar molecules, most of which are biotic in origin and represent both living materials and metabolites, but also include anthropogenic compounds with emerging environmental and ecological health concerns. In targeted ecosystems ranging from the Chesapeake Bay to the Arctic, complex organic mixtures are recognized as fundamental components, but remain to be fully investigated with the most advanced tools we propose to acquire here. This new instrumentation will facilitate further development of ongoing and future undergraduate and graduate research projects that require new levels of analytical sophistication for characterization of organic compounds present in marine and estuarine ecosystems and their immediate environmental context. Broader ImpactsBeyond enhancement of research capabilities the instrument will provide access to cutting edge instrumentation and techniques is critical for graduate students. The number of student that would benefit from access to this instrument at CBL and beyond is large. Several faculty members also support undergraduate research through NSF-REU programs. The proposed acquisition would greatly enhance the capabilities for teaching and training of students at UMCES. UMCES already provides outstanding hands-on opportunities for graduate (MEES graduate program) and undergraduate students (e.g., St. Mary's College of Maryland), and has a long track record in training of underrepresented minorities and female students. The instrumentation would directly positively impact the early career of at least one female faculty member.