MRI: Acquisition of a gas source mass spectrometer and carbonate preparation device for applications in the geosciences

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The PI requests MRI funding to acquire a gas source mass spectrometer and carbonate preparation device for applications in the geosciences. This instrument will be used to support projects in mantle geochemistry, paleoceanography and paleoclimatology, and physical anthropology. Current demand for this instrument requires the ability to measure up to 10,000 samples per year, primarily in the form of foraminifera, coral powder, enamel and phenocryst CO2. The proposed instrument is designed to replace the aging instrumentation without catastrophic loss of productivity, while also enabling the measurement of small mass samples that are currently being "outsourced" to other laboratories. Broader Impacts: The instrument will be placed in a newly reorganized SIO Center for Isotope Geochemistry - part of a larger network of core analytical facilities. Intensive "hands on" training of graduate students and advanced undergraduates is an essential goal of the center. The instrumentation would also support classroom instruction on graduate and undergraduate levels, and it would serve as a natural means for strengthening existing programs aimed at increasing diversity in science. The "STARS" program - Summer Training Academy for Research in the Sciences. Funded by NSF and administered through UCSD, this program each year looks to place undergraduates from underrepresented groups into laboratory environments. The proposed instrument would provide an ideal platform for participants in this program.