MRI: Acquisition of an Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical-Emission Spectrometer for use in Paleoclimatic, Hydrogeologic and Geochemical Studies at SUNY Geneseo

这项主要研究仪器奖将资助SUNY Geneseo购置地球化学仪器，这将增强一个在本科生研究中取得成功的部门的分析能力，从而加强对下一代地球科学家的教育。地质科学系的三个学院已经建立了完善的本科生友好研究项目，这些项目将立即受益于扩展的分析能力。该仪器将提供岩石、沉积物和水样的高分辨率化学分析，以支持正在进行的研究，并将使地貌学、岩石学、人类学和生态学等领域的新合作研究成为可能。此次收购将使该研究受益：(1)对美国西部末次冰期-间冰期过渡期间气候变化的幅度、时间和速度提供关键见解；(2)在Marcellus页岩进行大规模水力压裂以提取天然气的目标地区建立地下水和地表水化学的详细特征；(3)建立矿渣对纽约州西部和阿迪朗达克州立公园等重要农业和休闲区土壤和水化学的影响。这些领域的研究包括由教师和本科生进行的实地和实验室组成部分，与地质科学系培养批判性思维和基于问题的学习的传统保持一致。这种仪器将被纳入每年超过300名学生的班级。具体来说，该合同将资助购买一台电感耦合等离子体光学发射光谱仪（ICP-OES），以支持纽约州立大学Geneseo分校的古气候学、水文地质学和地球化学研究。在古气候学和相关领域的研究中，ICP-OES将被宇宙成因核素制备实验室使用，该实验室为测量地表沉积物和地貌的宇宙成因铍-10库存准备样品。在水文地质研究方面，ICP-OES将对纽约州北部地区的水质进行新的研究，以进行大规模水力压裂。在地球化学研究方面，ICP-OES将用于测量冶炼副产物炉渣中的金属和稀土元素的浓度，以及受处理炉渣影响的环境中土壤和水中的金属和稀土元素的浓度。此外，ICP-OES将增强SUNY Geneseo人类学系、生物系和化学系正在进行的研究的分析能力，并为这些学系的新研究提供机会。获得ICP-OES也为地质科学部与纽约州内外其他机构之间的合作研究提供了新的机会。

This Major Research Instrumentation award funds the acquisition of geochemical instrumentation at SUNY Geneseo which will augment the analytical capabilities of a department with a proven record of success in undergraduate research, thereby enhancing the education of the next generation of geoscientists. Three faculty in the Department of Geological Sciences have well-established, undergraduate-friendly research programs that will immediately benefit from the expanded analytical capabilities. The instrumentation will provide high-resolution chemical analysis of rock, sediment and water samples to support ongoing research, and will enable new collaborative research in areas such as geomorphology, petrology, anthropology, and ecology. The research that will benefit from the acquisition is (1) providing key insight to the magnitude, timing and pace of climate changes during the last glacial-interglacial transition in the western U.S. (2) establishing a detailed characterization of ground and surface water chemistry in a region that is targeted for high-volume hydraulic fracturing of the Marcellus Shale for extraction of natural gas; and (3) establishing the impacts of slag on soil and water chemistry in western New York State and the Adirondack State Park, important agricultural and recreational regions. Research in these areas includes field and laboratory components carried out by faculty and undergraduates, in keeping with the tradition of cultivating critical thinking and problem-based learning in the Department of Geological Sciences. This instrumentation will be incorporated into classes reaching more than 300 students per year. Specifically, this award funds the acquisition of an Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES) to support research in paleoclimatology, hydrogeology, and geochemistry at SUNY Geneseo. For research in paleoclimatology and related fields, the ICP-OES will be used by the Cosmogenic Nuclide Preparation Lab, which prepares samples for measurement of cosmogenic Beryllium-10 inventory of surficial deposits and landforms. For hydrogeologic studies, the ICP-OES will enable new research on water quality in areas of upstate New York targeted for high volume hydraulic fracturing. For geochemical studies, the ICP-OES will be used for measuring the concentrations of metal and rare-earth elements in slag, a byproduct of smelting, and in soils and water in environments affected by the disposal of slag. Additionally, the ICP-OES will augment the analytical capabilities of ongoing research in the Departments of Anthropology, Biology and Chemistry at SUNY Geneseo, and provide opportunities for new research in these departments. Acquisition of the ICP-OES also provides new opportunities for collaborative research between the Department of Geological Sciences and other institutions within and beyond New York State.