UPGRADE OF ELECTRON MICROPROBE SX-100 AT OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY IN THE COLLEGE OF EARTH, OCEAN, AND ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES

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This Division of Earth Sciences Instrumentation and Facilities program award supports upgrade of an aging 2004 CAMECA SX-100 electron microprobe. The Oregon State University (OSU) Electron Microprobe (EMP) Laboratory is an open analytical facility and is used for research across a broad spectrum of sciences, and for undergraduate and graduate student research and education. The award is also jointly supported by the Division of Ocean Sciences Marine Geology and Geophysics Program. The electron microprobe is a research tool capable of determining microspatially resolved chemical compositions of solid materials that help researchers address a wide variety of scientific and engineering problems. These include problems in the fields of geology, metallurgy, solid state physics, mechanical and chemical engineering, electronics, biology, and physical chemistry. The laboratory has formed an important component of the OSU research infrastructure and underpins the research activities of a diverse user base, including geoscientists, engineers, biologists, material scientists and environmental scientists.Upgrade of the EMP will provide indispensable services to the entire OSU community, to other academic institutions, state and federal agencies, and to a large number of industry collaborators and partners both nationally and internationally. Upgrade of the OSU electron microprobe is necessary for several reasons: 1) the current equipment is now over 15 years old and is experiencing reduced performance and intermittent problems with electronic components, spectrometers and vacuum systems; 2) a full-functioning machine will allow faculty and students to meet current demands for electron microprobe analyses at OSU, providing increased user access, and improving and increasing hands-on laboratory experiences for graduate and undergraduate students; and 3) upgrading the EMP our electron microprobe will provide an important impetus for future research activities including studies of magma genesis, differentiation and volcanic hazards, paleontological investigations of Neoproterozoic and early Paleozoic animal fossilization processes, and studies of the thermal and impact history of asteroid materials.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.