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

罗德岛大学的海洋学研究生院主持了海洋地质样本实验室（MGSL）。这是一个开放的社区设施，用于保存和存档海底地质样本。MGSL的使命是使这些样本可用于研究、推广和教育。MGSL自1976年以来一直在运行，并收集了全球约2000个海洋沉积物岩心和约4000个海底岩石。从海底收集这些材料花费很大。这些材料的长期存档为原始投资提供了持续的回报，因为现有的样本可用于新的研究。全球的研究人员和教育工作者使用MGSL样本来扩展对地球的认识。研究课题包括板块构造、海底火山作用、海洋和气候的历史以及海洋矿产资源。该项目将支持正在进行的活动，以吸收新材料，保存现有藏品，并满足需求。它还将为增加数字存在和提高数据的质量和可访问性提供支持。最后，该计划将支持在MGSL持续的外展、教育及训练活动。该项目支持罗德岛大学海洋学研究生院的海洋地质样本实验室（MGSL），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本进行描述、管理和分发。该项目将为该设施的策展和组织活动提供支持，由一名兼职助理策展人和两名研究生助理在pi的指导下进行。具体活动包括：1)按照最佳实践描述和存储新的nsf资助的岩心和岩石样本；2)满足更广泛的科学界的样本需求；3)维护和改进开放获取的收集元数据（IMLGS和SESAR），并积极向科学界推广这些收集；包括为URI课程提供实践教育的材料和空间，使用设施设备和样品的劳动力培训，以及在设施内和场外进行K-12扩展，以及5)扩展当前存储容量并过渡到扩展的设施。MGSL通过消除新样品收集的费用以及保存和提供已经存在的有价值数据集的材料，使收集的科学取得新的进展。此外，MGSL设施为公众教育和推广提供了一个重要的场所，每年约有3000名游客，与学校团体和公众进行现场参观，并在当地和区域活动中进行场外推广，提供教育经验和材料，重点是地球科学，海底观察和采样方法，以及样本本身。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。

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.