MRI: Acquisition of an X-ray Computed Tomography Scanner for Three-Dimensional Characterization of a Wide Range of Geological and Biological Archives

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Critical information, unavailable from any other source, is contained within natural geological and/or biological archives and a large multi-disciplinary academic community across the United States is developing and applying state-of-the art technologies to extract and interpret this information with growing accuracy and precision. Much of it is structural, and macro- and microscale 3D imaging provide a critical first step in the characterization of samples and quantification of structural data. Yet facilities currently available to the United States academic community for the three-dimensional characterization of geological and biological samples, are limited. This award provides for the acquisition of a Geotek Rotating X-ray Computed Tomography (RXCT) scanner to be housed within the National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported Seafloor Samples Laboratory (SFSL) at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). The scanner will be operated as a center to service the existing and growing need for 3D imaging and analysis within the ocean sciences community. The RXCT scanner will facilitate the 3D characterization and analysis of geological and biological archives readily accessible to researchers across the US. Open access to non-destructive, macro- and microscale imaging of corals, shellfish and other marine calcifiers, sediment cores, wood and speleothems, transforming researchers' ability to address critical questions about environmental change and its impacts on living systems. Furthermore, open access to 3D imaging will drive the development of new technologies for the quantification, analysis, interpretation and 3D animation of structural data. Digital 3D images and animations will be shared across the world, via multiple media types, connecting science with the public, and inspiring the next generation of scientists.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.