Acquisition of a SEM-EDS-CL microanalytical system for research, teaching, and outreach in Geology at Colby College, a Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI)

这笔赠款资助购买一台新的最先进的扫描电子显微镜（SEM），用于对火山尘、陨石和断层岩等地球物质进行高分辨率成像和分析。这种新仪器将用于支持和丰富科尔比学院地质系正在进行的研究，并将为地质学和其他STEM领域的本科生提供宝贵的培训机会。这个新的SEM系统也是理想的课堂使用，并将被纳入各级科尔比的地质课程，从介绍地质高级顶点的经验。生物和物理系的科尔比教师也将把SEM纳入他们的教学和研究计划，从而增加新仪器的整体影响。SEM将由校园内的不同学生群体使用，包括科尔比沉浸式暑期课程的一年级学生，这些学生来自对科学感兴趣的代表性不足或弱势群体。地质学教师还将通过参与社区外展计划，与缅因州中部大多数农村人口分享研究成果。这个奖项给科尔比学院是为收购一个变压扫描电子显微镜配备了低真空二次（SE）检测器，高灵敏度背散射电子（BSE）检测器，能量色散光谱仪（EDS），和彩色阴极射线发光（彩色CL）检测器。新的SEM系统将支持科尔比学院的各种研究计划，包括：1）了解削弱断层带岩石的物理和化学机制，并帮助控制地震产生的断层滑动事件; 2）阐明我们太阳系的早期演化，如以陨石形式坠落地球的小行星碎片所记录的那样;（3）限制以往火山爆发对气候的影响，评估大气尘埃沉降对海洋生态系统生产力的影响。SEM系统将提高科尔比学院地质系教师的研究能力，并将使60名本科地质专业的学生在未来十年内从事研究。访问SEM将允许学生用户开发尖端技能，这些技能将对广泛的STEM领域的未来职业生涯有用。其他STEM领域的教师也将把SEM纳入他们的教学和研究计划，从而增加新仪器的整体影响。SEM将帮助地质学教师招聘和保留学生从代表性不足或弱势背景通过他们正在进行的工作在科学的科尔比成就计划-为期6周的沉浸式暑期课程为即将到来的一年级学生从代表性不足的群体谁感兴趣的STEM专业。该奖项得到了激励竞争研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）办公室的共同资助。该奖项反映了NSF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。

This grant funds the acquisition of a new state-of-the-art scanning-electron-microscope (SEM) for high-resolution imaging and analysis of Earth materials, such as volcanic dust, meteorites, and fault rocks. This new instrument will be used to support and enrich ongoing research in the Geology department at Colby College, and it will provide valuable training opportunities for undergraduate students in Geology and other STEM fields. This new SEM system also is ideal for classroom use and will be integrated into all levels of Colby’s geology curriculum, from introductory geology to senior capstone experiences. Colby faculty in the Biology and Physics Departments also will incorporate the SEM into their teaching and research programs, thus increasing the overall impact of the new instrument. The SEM will be used by a diverse group of students across campus, including incoming first-year students in Colby’s immersive summer program for students from underrepresented or disadvantaged groups who are interested in science. Geology faculty also will share research results with the mostly rural, underserved population of central Maine through their participation in community outreach programs. This award to Colby College is for the acquisition of a variable-pressure scanning electron microscope equipped with a low-vacuum secondary (SE) detector, a high-sensitivity back-scatter-electron (BSE) detector, an energy-dispersive-spectrometer (EDS), and a color-cathodoluminescence (color-CL) detector. The new SEM system will support a variety of research initiatives at Colby College, including: 1) understanding the physical and chemical mechanisms that weaken rocks in fault zones and help control earthquake-generating fault slip events; 2) elucidating the early evolution of our solar system as recorded in fragments of asteroids that fall to Earth as meteorites; and 3) constraining the effects past volcanic eruptions on climate and assessing the impacts of atmospheric dust deposition on the productivity of marine ecosystems. The SEM system will increase the research capabilities of faculty in the Geology Department at Colby College, and will enable ~60 undergraduate Geology majors to engage in research over the next decade. Access to the SEM will allow student users to develop cutting-edge skills that will be useful for future careers in a wide range of STEM fields. Faculty in other STEM fields also will incorporate the SEM into their teaching and research programs, thus increasing the overall impact of the new instrument. The SEM will help Geology faculty recruit and retain students from under-represented or disadvantaged backgrounds through their ongoing work the Colby Achievement Program in the Sciences—a 6-week immersive summer program for incoming first-year students from underrepresented groups who are interested in STEM majors. This award received co-funding from the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) office.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.