MRI: Acquisition of an Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer for using stable isotopes to study complex ecological systems

密歇根理工大学获得了一个同位素比质谱仪，用于分析环境样品中碳、氮、氧、硫和氢的稳定同位素。教师和工作人员将使用该仪器在水生和陆地生态系统过程研究中追踪这些元素。对于理科生来说，掌握基本分析工具的实践经验是很重要的，通过这次购买，密歇根理工大学各个领域的学生将能够将同位素的使用纳入自己的研究中。密歇根理工大学的研究小组将把同位素研究完全整合到高级生态系统科学课程的课堂教育中，以培养未来的科学家，他们完全有能力使用先进的技术来研究环境问题及其潜在的解决方案。最先进的科学仪器还将有助于吸引最好的研究生和生态学和环境科学教师职位的候选人，这两个研究领域都是众所周知的吸引不同人群进入STEM职业的研究领域。新仪器将元素同位素分析的种类增加三倍，可以提供给密歇根理工大学的学生和研究人员及其同事，促进生态系统科学家、生物学家、水文学家、化学家和地质学家之间的合作。研究人员将把同位素分析用于多种目的，包括：评估鸟类、蝙蝠和蝴蝶等迁徙物种的起源；将湿地温室气体通量的最近和较早的来源分开，以确定对气候系统可能的反馈；了解暴雨流量和地下水对河流流量的贡献，以帮助预测未来暴雨强度增加时发生洪水的可能性；分离水生和陆生植被对野生物种饮食的贡献；通过分析树木年轮和树叶，以及确定不同植物可以获得水分的土壤深度，评估最近和过去的干旱对森林生产力的影响。这些研究和用该仪器进行的其他研究的结果将在同行评议的出版物和科学会议上广泛传播。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。

An award is made to Michigan Technological University to obtain an isotope ratio mass spectrometer for the analysis of stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur and hydrogen in environmental samples. Faculty and staff will use the instrument to trace these elements in studies of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem processes. It is important for science students to have hands-on experience with essential analytical tools, and through this purchase, students in a wide variety of fields at Michigan Tech will be able to incorporate the use of isotopes into their own research. The team at Michigan Tech will fully integrate isotopic research into classroom education in upper-level ecosystem science courses to prepare future scientists who are fully capable of using advanced techniques to investigate environmental issues and their potential solutions. The state-of-the-science instrument also will aid in attracting the best possible graduate students and candidates for faculty positions in ecology and environmental science, both of which are areas of study known to attract diverse populations into STEM careers.The new instrument will triple the types of elemental isotopic analyses that can be provided to Michigan Tech students and researchers and their colleagues, fostering collaborations among ecosystem scientists, biologists, hydrologists, chemists and geologists. Researchers will use isotopic analyses for diverse purposes including: assessing origins of migratory species such as birds, bats and butterflies; separating recent versus older sources of greenhouse gas fluxes from wetlands to identify possible feedbacks to the climate system; understanding the contributions of stormflow and groundwater to streamflow to help predict the potential for future flooding as storm intensities increase; separating contributions of aquatic and terrestrial vegetation to the diets of wild species; and assessing impacts of recent and past droughts on forest productivity through analysis of tree rings and foliage and determining the soil depths from which different plant species can access water. Results from these studies and other research performed with the instrument will be widely disseminated in peer-reviewed publications and at scientific meetings.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.