Acquisition of a pXRF and refurbishment of used germanium detectors for research and undergraduate research training

这笔拨款用于扩大奥柏林学院的伽马计数设施，以提高用于确定河流沉积物中短寿命沉降放射性核素活性的样品的通量。这笔赠款将用于购买一个使用过的功能齐全的锗探测器，翻新和升级两个旧的使用过的探测器，并获得支持这些新到奥柏林仪器的用品。这些探测器将用于针对大型风暴和人类土地利用变化的侵蚀深度指纹识别项目。这些探测器支持的正在进行的项目包括记录飓风玛丽亚对多米尼加水土流失的影响，古巴向有机农业广泛过渡的影响，以及中国毁林和再造林项目的影响。奥伯林是一所文理学院，在本科生参与研究方面有着悠久的历史。每个学期和夏季平均有7名学生将使用这些探测器。许多将使用这些设备的学生很可能是地球科学领域代表性不足的群体的成员。因此，这笔拨款包括每年资助一名教员和一名学生参加一个以少数民族参与地球科学为重点的会议。此外，探测器将用于与K-12和大学生的联系。现代定量地质学越来越依赖于化学测量来观察地球的过程。Schmidt的地形学小组使用放射性沉降核素（210Pb, 137Cs, 7Be）来识别上游流域侵蚀时间和深度的相对变化，以了解土地利用变化和大风暴对侵蚀的影响。这项研究依靠锗探测器进行伽马计数。每个样本在施密特唯一的检测器上计数24-96小时；机器时间是实验室吞吐量的一个主要限制点。该项目的资金将用于翻新送给Oberlin的两个锗探测器，并获得一个使用过但功能正常的探测器。它还将用于获取样品制备和分析设备，以优化学生培训和锗探测器的使用。额外的锗探测器将通过使计数样品的机器数量增加四倍，从而使实验室的样品吞吐量增加四倍，从而增加实验室的样品吞吐量。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This grant supports the expansion of gamma counting facilities at Oberlin College to improve the throughput of samples used to determine the activity of short-lived fallout radionuclides in river sediment. The grant will be used to acquire a used and fully functional germanium detector, refurbish and upgrade two older used detectors, and acquire supplies to support these new-to-Oberlin instruments. The detectors will be used for projects fingerprinting depth of erosion in response to major storms and changes in human land use. Ongoing projects supported by these detectors include documenting the effects of Hurricane Maria on erosion in Dominica, the effects of wide spread transition to organic agriculture in Cuba, and the effects of deforestation and reforestation projects in China. Oberlin is a liberal arts college with a strong history of undergraduate involvement in research. An average of 7 students per semester and summer will use the detectors. Many of the students who will work with the equipment are likely to be members of groups typically underrepresented in the earth sciences. Thus, the grant includes funding for a faculty member and student each year to attend a conference focused on minority participation in earth science. In addition, the detectors will be used for outreach with K-12 and college students. Modern quantitative geology increasingly relies on chemical measurements to make observations about Earth processes. Schmidt's geomorphology group uses fallout radionuclides (210Pb, 137Cs, 7Be) to fingerprint relative changes in timing and depth of erosion in upstream watersheds in order to understand the effects of land use change and major storms on erosion. This research relies on a germanium detector for gamma counting. Each sample is counted for 24-96 hours on Schmidt's only detector; machine time is a major constriction point for lab throughput. Funds from this project will be used to refurbish two germanium detectors given to Oberlin and acquire a used, but functioning, detector. It will additionally be used to acquire sample preparation and analysis equipment necessary to optimize student training and use of the germanium detectors. The additional germanium detectors will increase throughput of samples in the lab by quadrupling the number of machines counting samples and thus quadruples sample throughput in the lab.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.