Marine Geological Samples Laboratory: Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island (support of marine sample curation)

罗德岛大学海洋研究生院拥有海洋地质样品实验室(MGSL)。这是一个开放访问的社区设施，用于保存和存档海底地质样品。MGSL的使命是将这些样本提供给研究、推广和教育。MGSL自1976年以来一直在运营，全球收集了从海底采集的约2,000个海洋沉积物岩芯和~4,000个岩石。这些材料是以高昂的费用从海底收集的。这些材料的长期存档为原始投资带来了持续的回报，因为现有的样本被用于新的研究。MGSL样本被全球的研究人员和教育工作者用来扩大对地球的了解。研究主题包括板块构造、海底火山作用、海洋和气候历史以及海洋矿产资源。该项目将支持正在进行的吸收新材料、保存现有藏品和满足请求的活动。它还将支持扩大数字存在和改善数据的质量和可获得性。该项目支持罗德岛大学海洋学研究生院(GSO/URI)的海洋地质样品实验室(GSO/URI)，该实验室对GSO/URI和其他地方的研究人员收集的海洋地质样品进行描述、整理和分发。该项目将为该设施的策展和组织活动提供支助，这些活动将由一名兼职助理馆长和两名研究生助理在私人投资促进机构的指导下开展。具体活动包括1)按照最佳做法描述和存储由国家科学基金会资助的新的岩芯和岩石样本；2)满足更广泛的科学界的样本要求；3)维护和改进开放获取的藏书元数据(IMLGS和SESAR)并积极向科学界推广藏品；4)开展利用该设施及其藏品的外联和教育活动，包括为URI课程提供实践教育的材料和空间；利用设施设备和样本对工作人员进行培训；以及K-12在该设施内外的外联活动；5)扩大目前的存储容量并过渡到扩建的设施。MGSL通过消除新样本收集的费用以及保存和提供已经存在有价值的数据集的材料，使收集工作取得了新的科学进展。此外，MGSL设施为公众教育和推广提供了一个关键场所，每年吸引约3,000名参观者，与学校团体和公众进行现场参观，并在当地和地区活动中进行场外推广，提供侧重于地球科学、海底观察和采样方法以及样本本身的教育经验和材料。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island hosts the Marine Geological Samples Laboratory (MGSL). This is an open-access community facility that preserves and archives seafloor geological samples. The mission of the MGSL is to make these samples available for research, outreach, and education. The MGSL has been in operation since 1976, and houses a global collection of ~2,000 marine sediment cores and ~4,000 rocks collected from the seafloor. These materials were collected from the seafloor at a significant expense. The long-term archiving of these materials delivers continuous returns on the original investment as the existing samples are used for new research. The MGSL samples are used by researchers and educators globally to expand knowledge of the Earth. Research topics span plate tectonics, submarine volcanism, the history of the ocean and climate, and marine mineral resources. This project will support ongoing activities to take in new materials, preserve existing collections, and fill requests. It will also enable support for growing the digital presence and improving the quality and accessibility of the data. Finally, the project will support continued outreach, education, and training activities at the MGSL.This project supports the Marine Geological Samples Laboratory (MGSL) at the Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island (GSO/URI), which conducts description, curation, and distribution of marine geological samples collected by researchers at GSO/URI and elsewhere. This project will provide support for curatorial and organizational activities of the facility that will be carried out by one part-time assistant curator and two graduate student assistants under the direction of the PIs. Specific activities include 1) describing and storing new NSF-funded core and rock samples following best practices, 2) fulfilling sample requests from the broader scientific community, 3) maintaining and improving open-access collections metadata (IMLGS and SESAR) and actively promoting the collections to the scientific community, 4) conducting outreach and education activities that utilize the facility and its collections, including providing materials and space for hands-on education for URI classes, workforce training using facility equipment and samples, and K-12 outreach both within the facility and off-site, and 5) expanding current storage capacity and transitioning to the expanded facility. The MGSL enables new scientific advances on the collections by eliminating the expense of new sample collection and by preserving and making available materials for which valuable data sets already exist. Additionally, the MGSL facility provides a key venue for public education and outreach by engaging ~3,000 visitors annually, for on-site tours with school groups and the general public and for off-site outreach at local and regional events, providing educational experiences and materials focusing on Earth science, methods of seafloor observation and sampling, and the samples themselves.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.