MRI: Acquisition of a Quadrupole ICP-MS for Multidisciplinary Research, Research Training, and Education at Colgate University

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This award provides funding to Colgate University Geology Department for a new geochemical analysis instrument. The new instrument, called an Inductively Coupled Mass Spectrometer or ICP-MS, measures chemical elements in various materials. The facility will support research and research training in the physical and social sciences at Colgate University, as well as at numerous research programs at predominantly undergraduate colleges in the upstate New York region and beyond. Projects include studies of the composition of Earth's interior, formation of volcanic island chains, ice movement in the Antarctic, the formation of the Adirondack Mountains, volcanic lakes, airborne contaminants, Roman archaeological sites, the role of climate change in early human evolution, roadside spring water quality and surface runoff in the Finger Lakes Region, and identification of Paleolithic art pigments. The new instrument extends the two-decade history of the ICP-MS facility at Colgate University. More than 10 faculty and 50-80 student investigators will use the instrument during the grant period. Users will share their research with the public and the scientific community, testament to the wide reach of this interdisciplinary analytical facility. The ICP-MS will also be a cornerstone facility for courses at Colgate and nearby institutions, providing hands-on experience with modern instrumentation for many undergraduates.The new quadrupole Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS) in the Colgate University Geology Department will support research and research training in the physical and social sciences across our institution, as well as in numerous research programs at predominantly undergraduate colleges in the upstate New York region and beyond. Projects include investigations into mantle compositions and ocean island geodynamics, magmatic evolution, provenance of Antarctic phonolites and their implications for ice sheet movement, petrochronology of Adirondack rocks, banded iron formation analog processes, volcanic lakes and hydrothermal systems, silt emplacement in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica, formation of glaciovolcanic ridges, characterization of airborne particulates, tephrochronology in cores from the Temple of Athena at Paestum, roof tile terracotta provenance from Italian archaeological sites, paleoclimate variations and implications for early hominid evolution, multi-year studies of roadside spring water quality and surface runoff in the Finger Lakes Region, and geochemistry of Paleolithic art pigments. Users of the instrument will disseminate their research to the scientific community through publications, conference presentations, and public outreach, collaborate with scientists at major research institutions, and receive national funding for their projects, testament to the wide reach of this interdisciplinary analytical facility. The ICP-MS will also be a cornerstone facility for courses at Colgate and nearby institutions, providing hands-on experience with modern instrumentation for many undergraduates.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.