Early Career: Acquisition of a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility for Earth Science Research at Baylor University

该合同将用于购买用于贝勒大学环境样品分析的300 MHz固态核磁共振光谱仪（NMR）升级的组件。核磁共振设备将成为地质系的一部分？美国有机地球化学实验室。购买具有交叉极化和魔角旋转的固态探针将有助于获得几何形状（例如13C和15N）中低丰度原子核的核磁共振波谱。提供有关现代和古代土壤和沉积物中有机质的结构、特性和分子动力学的信息。NSF基金将用于建立NMR暑期学校？这是一门国际公开的短期课程，旨在为地球和环境科学专业的学生提供必要的技术知识，将核磁共振光谱应用于他们的研究兴趣。固态核磁共振设施将支持贝勒大学地质系的教职员工和学生的研究，以及3个跨学科项目：陆地古气候研究小组（7人），生态、地球和环境科学研究所（19人），水库和水生系统研究中心（19人）。将立即受益于核磁共振设施的研究领域包括：1)表征全球土壤碳库的氧化状态和生态系统氧化比对气候变化的响应；2)评估发展中国家土地利用对河流有机质输送到海洋质量的影响（NSF GEO oce资助）；3)开发生态系统生化清单，作为了解土壤碳动态的工具；4)开发和验证古火灾温度代理，用于研究火灾在地球系统中的作用。5)利用古土壤记录将古火温度代用物应用于更新世-全新世气候变率的研究；6)通过监测现代古土壤的碳循环，校准垂直古土壤的古土壤CO2晴气表（NSF - ear资助）；7)阐明天然有机质与纳米级矿物颗粒相互作用的机制；8)研究黑色素的聚集结构。固体核磁共振（NMR）是一种强大的分析工具，能够从环境样品（土壤，沉积物，生物质等）中非侵入性地提取大量化学结构信息。然而，核磁共振波谱在地球科学中仍然没有得到充分利用，因为它不是传统地球和环境科学课程的一部分。贝勒大学最近开展了几项重大举措，以满足社会需求。随着陆地古气候研究小组、生态、地球与环境系统博士研究生院（TIEEES）和水库与水生系统研究中心（CRASR）的建立，对具有地球与环境科学跨学科训练的科学家的需求日益增加。我们建议建立一个设施，让参与这些项目的教师和学生能够使用固态核磁共振波谱进行地质、生物地球化学和环境研究。固态核磁共振设备将被整合到贝勒大学？高级仪器研讨会，每年为来自该地区的学生和教师举办。小型学院。此外，NSF基金将用于建立一个核磁共振暑期学校。一门国际公开的短期课程，旨在为地球和环境科学专业的学生提供必要的技术专长，将核磁共振波谱应用于他们的研究兴趣。拟议研究的预期结果是帮助地球科学界利用存在于许多主要研究机构的未开发的地理分析能力。

This award will be used to purchase components for the upgrade of a solid-state 300 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer (NMR) for the analysis of environmental samples at Baylor University. The NMR facility will be part of the Geology Department?s organic geochemistry laboratory. The purchase of a solid-state probe with cross-polarization and magic angle spinning will facilitate the acquisition of NMR spectra for nuclei of low abundance in geomedia (e.g. 13C and 15N)?providing information on the structure, identity, and molecular dynamics of the organic matter in modern and ancient soil and sediment. NSF funds will be used to establish an NMR summer school ? an internationally-publicized short-course intended to equip students in the Earth and environmental sciences with the technical expertise necessary to apply NMR spectroscopy to their research interestsThe solid-state NMR facility will support the research of Baylor faculty and students in the department of geology as well as 3 interdisciplinary initiatives: the terrestrial paleoclimate research group (7 faculty members), the institute of ecological, Earth, and environmental sciences (19 faculty members), and the center for reservoir and aquatic systems research (19 faculty members). Research areas that will immediately benefit from the access to the NMR facility include: 1) characterizing the oxidation state of global soil carbon pools and the response of ecosystem oxidative ratio to climate change, 2) assessing the impact of developing-world land use on the quality of riverine organic matter delivered to the oceans (NSF GEO OCE-funded), 3) developing ecosystem biochemical inventories as a tool for understanding soil carbon dynamics, 4) development and validation of a paleo-fire temperature proxy for studying the role of fire in the Earth system, 5) application of the paleofire temperature proxy to several NSF-EAR funded studies of Pleistocene -Holocene climate variability using paleosol records 6) calibrating the paleosol CO2 barometer for vertic paleosols by monitoring carbon cycling in modern Vertisols (NSF EAR-funded), 7) elucidating mechanisms of natural organic matter interactions with nanoscale mineral particles, and 8) investigations of the aggregate structure in melanins.Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a powerful analytical tool capable of non-invasively extracting a host of chemical structure information from environmental samples (soil, sediment, biomass, etc). However, NMR spectroscopy remains underutilized in the geosciences because it is not a part of traditional Earth and environmental science curricula. Baylor University has recently undertaken several major initiatives to meet the society?s increasing need for scientists with interdisciplinary training in the Earth and environmental sciences with the establishment of a terrestrial paleoclimate research team, a PhD-granting institute in the ecological, Earth, and Environmental systems (TIEEES), and a center for reservoir and aquatic systems research (CRASR). We propose the establishment of a facility that would give the faculty and students participating in these programs access to solid-state NMR spectroscopy for geological, biogeochemical, and environmental studies. The solid-state NMR facility will be integrated into Baylor University?s Advanced Instrumentation Workshop, which is held annually for student and faculty from the area?s small colleges. Additionally, NSF funds will be used to establish an NMR summer school ? an internationally-publicized short-course intended to equip students in the Earth and environmental sciences with the technical expertise necessary to apply NMR spectroscopy to their research interests. The intended outcome of the proposed research is to help the geoscience community utilize an undeveloped geoanalytical capability that exists at many major research institutions.