MRI: Acquisition of a Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer to Enable Ultra-Trace Element Analysis at Washington State University

华盛顿州立大学(WSU)获得了一台全反射X射线荧光(TXRF)光谱仪，以支持生命和环境科学。这台机器将通过新知识的进步和应用，为西斯安那州立大学卓越的研究和教学使命做出重大贡献。研究人员将深入研究影响地球上所有生命的生物地球化学循环，特别是研究微生物、植物和动物体内大量和微量营养素的平衡。这项工作最终将有助于确保全球粮食供应的质量和数量。新的仪器还将为学生提供一个良好的训练环境。研究生和本科生将接受TXRF光谱仪的实践指导。除了接受最先进的技术培训外，他们还将学习粮食作物的微量元素和健康人类饮食的离子水平成分。因此，学生将做好准备，并参与到他们的学习中，改善健康，并有可能追求STEM职业生涯。TXRF提供的高灵敏度和准确的检测分析将识别土壤、水、生物和食物中的营养物质和有毒金属离子，直至亚细胞水平。研究人员将利用TXRF专注于三个科学研究领域：1)金属离子对细胞功能和植物生理的重要性；2)食物的营养成分及其对人和动物健康的影响；3)生态系统中矿物成分对生物多样性和减轻污染的作用。这些不同领域的调查将加强对全球生物地球化学循环的了解，特别是营养物质和毒素在环境及其微生物、植物和动物中移动的系统和过程。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

An award is made to Washington State University (WSU) to acquire a total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) spectrometer in support of life and environmental sciences. The machine will significantly contribute to WSU's mission of research and teaching excellence through the advancement and application of new knowledge. Researchers will intensely study the biogeochemical cycles that impact all life on earth, examining in particular the balances of macro and micronutrients within microorganisms, plants, and animals. This work will ultimately help ensure the quality and quantity of global food supplies. The new instrumentation will also contribute to an excellent training environment for students. Graduate and undergraduate students will receive hands-on instruction on the TXRF spectrometer. In addition to gaining state-of-the-art technological training, they will learn the trace elements of food crops and the ion level constituents of a healthy human diet. Students will thus be prepared and engaged to advance in their studies, improve health, and potentially pursue STEM careers. The highly sensitive and accurate detection analysis provided by the TXRF will identify nutrients and toxic metal ions in soil, water, organisms, and food down to the subcellular levels. Researchers will use the TXRF to focus on three areas of scientific inquiry: 1) the importance of metal ions for cellular function and plant physiology; 2) the nutrient composition of food and its impact on human and animal health; and 3) the role of mineral compositions in ecosystems for biodiversity and pollution mitigation. Investigations in these diverse areas will enhance the understanding of the global biogeochemical cycle, specifically the systems and processes by which nutrients and toxins move through the environment and its microbes, plants, and animalsThis 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.