MRI: Acquisition of field-portable x-ray fluorescence technology for undergraduate research and education

MRI：获取用于本科生研究和教育的便携式 X 射线荧光技术

• 批准号: 1337846
• 负责人: Kirsten Schwarz
• 金额: $ 10.66万
• 依托单位: NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION (DO NOT USE)
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-09-01 至 2016-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1337846&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; Acquisition; field; portable; ray

An award is made to Northern Kentucky University (NKU) for the acquisition of field-portable x- ray fluorescence (XRF) technology for undergraduate research and education. XRF technology will advance and broaden socio-ecological teaching and research at NKU. Specifically, XRF will be used to analyze soil lead concentrations in Cincinnati, OH in order to better understand potential tradeoffs with urban gardening activities and learn how information about the landscape can be used to predict areas of elevated lead. Understanding the distribution of a critical urban pollutant will improve our understanding of the important link between urban structure and function, advancing urban ecological theory. In addition, data and predictive models of lead distribution will be shared with community partners and local health agencies to inform the design of safe urban gardens and protect human populations from lead exposure. XRF will advance ongoing projects on plant and microbe community effects on ecosystem processes. This research will deepen our understanding of ecosystem processes by examining linked biogeochemical cycles, specifically the role of heavy metal dynamics in structuring aquatic ecosystems.Environmental data, including heavy metal and nutrient content of soil and sediment samples will be collected, analyzed, and archived by undergraduate students through existing and newly developed courses in NKU's Environmental Science Program. Data will be used in introductory courses to teach basic concepts of data analysis and in upper level courses to teach concepts of sample design and data collection. XRF technology enhances infrastructure for mentoring students in both education and research. Acquisition of XRF technology strengthens NKU's mission to provide undergraduate students with valuable research experience that expands future career options. Undergraduate students and the surrounding community will benefit from a greater understanding of coupled human-environment interactions that drive the spatial distribution of heavy metals in urban soils.

北肯塔基大学（NKU）获得了用于本科生研究和教育的野外便携式x射线荧光（XRF）技术。XRF技术将推动和扩大北大的社会生态学教学和研究。具体来说，XRF将用于分析俄亥俄州辛辛那提市的土壤铅浓度，以便更好地了解城市园艺活动的潜在权衡，并了解如何使用景观信息来预测铅含量升高的地区。了解一种重要的城市污染物的分布，有助于我们更好地认识城市结构与功能之间的重要联系，推动城市生态理论的发展。此外，还将与社区伙伴和地方卫生机构分享铅分布的数据和预测模型，以便为安全城市花园的设计提供信息，并保护人口免受铅接触。XRF将推进正在进行的关于植物和微生物群落对生态系统过程影响的项目。这项研究将通过研究生物地球化学循环，特别是重金属动力学在水生生态系统结构中的作用，加深我们对生态系统过程的理解。环境数据，包括土壤和沉积物样本的重金属和养分含量，将由本科生通过北大环境科学专业现有和新开发的课程收集，分析和存档。数据将在入门课程中用于教授数据分析的基本概念，在高级课程中用于教授样本设计和数据收集的概念。XRF技术增强了在教育和研究方面指导学生的基础设施。收购XRF技术加强了北大的使命，即为本科生提供宝贵的研究经验，扩大未来的职业选择。本科学生和周边社区将受益于对驱动城市土壤中重金属空间分布的耦合人与环境相互作用的更深入了解。