Equipment: MRI Track 1: Acquisition of a LA-ICP-MS for Research and Research Training

设备：MRI 轨道 1：获取 LA-ICP-MS 用于研究和研究培训

• 批准号: 2320318
• 负责人: F. Zeb Page
• 金额: $ 62.55万
• 依托单位: Oberlin College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-15 至 2026-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2320318&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Equipment; MRI; Track; Acquisition; LA

This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award provides funding to Oberlin College to acquire a laser ablation inductively-coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS), an instrument used to analyze a broad range of solid (mineral and tissue) and liquid samples to deepen understanding of their composition and significance. This highly versatile system will enable ten faculty – six from three departments at Oberlin College and four from other Ohio colleges and universities – to perform cutting-edge research and to train undergraduate science students. Oberlin College Geosciences faculty and students will map the distribution of trace metals in minerals in metamorphic rocks to reconstruct their pressure-temperature histories, and, by examining isotope clocks in the mineral zircon, study fundamental Earth processes such as mountain building. Other faculty will apply similar techniques to fossils and modern shells to better understand how these organisms respond to and record the changing climate. The instrument will also be used to study chlorine pollution in Lake Erie and to research erosion and changing land use. Faculty in Neuroscience and Chemistry and Biochemistry will study the uptake of heavy metals in brain tissue and the model organism Caenorhabditis Elegans (C. elegans), research that can contribute to our understanding of strategies for reducing the harmful impacts of environmental toxins. The LA-ICP-MS will enhance the research productivity of the ten-member proposing team, which is majority female and includes four early-career scientists and three members of minoritized groups underrepresented in the sciences. Oberlin is a leading educator of students who go on to earn PhDs in the sciences, and this instrument will improve the research training of undergraduates, who will use it in upper-level classes as well as in independent projects. It will also improve the ability of Oberlin and the other participating institutions – Denison University, The College of Wooster, and Case Western Reserve University – to recruit and train a diverse group of students in scientific research.The acquisition of an ICP-MS with tandem quadrupoles and gas reaction cell coupled to a 193 nm laser ablation system with precise stage control will enable faculty at Oberlin to perform cutting-edge research while recruiting and training future scientists. The newest generation of LA systems supports high-resolution (~3 μm) spatial analyses with a fast wash-out, which, when carefully synchronized with a high-sensitivity quadrupole ICP-MS, allows for detailed imaging of trace elements, opening up new avenues of research. Likewise, substantial recent developments in tandem quadrupole and collision/reaction cell mass spectrometry allow greatly increased sensitivity through the removal of mass interferences. Science education at Oberlin is enhanced by the active and productive research programs of individual and collaborative faculty, and access to the LA-ICP-MS system will advance several research programs at the institution, will enable Oberlin to attract and retain a top science faculty and provide infrastructure for them to remain at the forefront of their disciplines while continuing our mission of high-quality research training. Importantly, undergraduate students will be primary users of the LA-ICP-MS, enabling them to develop hands-on experience and skills useful for their future careers in scienceThis 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.

这项主要的研究仪器奖（MRI）奖为Oberlin College提供了资金，以获取激光消融电感耦合等离子体四极质量质谱仪（LA-ICP-MS），该工具用于分析一系列固体（矿物质和组织）和液体样品的广泛范围，以深入了解其组成和重要性。这个高度的系统将使十个教师能够 - 来自奥伯林学院的三个部门，其他俄亥俄州大学的四个部门可以进行尖端的研究并培训本科科学专业的学生。 Oberlin College Geosciences教师和学生将绘制变质岩石中矿物质的微量金属的分布，以重建其压力温度的历史，并通过检查矿物锆石中的同位素时钟，研究山区建筑等基本地球过程。其他教师将对化石和现代壳采用类似的技术，以更好地了解这些生物如何应对并记录不断变化的气候。该仪器还将用于研究伊利湖中的氯污染，并研究侵蚀和不断变化的土地使用。神经科学和化学和生物化学的教师将研究脑组织中重金属的摄取以及模型有机体Caenorhabditis elegans（秀丽隐杆线虫），这可以有助于我们理解减少环境毒素的有害影响的策略。 LA-ICP-MS将提高十名成员提案小组的研究生产力，该小组是多数女性，其中包括四名早期职业科学家和三个少数化群体的成员在科学中的代表性不足。奥伯林（Oberlin）是继续在科学中获得博士学位的学生的领先教育者，该工具将改善本科生的研究培训，他们将在高层班级和独立项目中使用它。 Will also improve the ability of Oberlin and the other participating institutions – Denison University, The College of Wooster, and Case Western Reserve University – to recruit and train a divers group of students in scientific research.The acquisition of an ICP-MS with tandem quadrupoles and gas reaction cell coupled to a 193 nm laser ablation system with precision stage control will enable faculty at Oberlin to perform cutting-edge research while recruiting and training Future科学家。最新一代的LA系统支持快速冲洗的高分辨率（〜3μM）空间分析，当该空间分析与高敏感性四倍的ICP-MS仔细同步时，可以详细介绍痕量元素的成像，从而打开新的研究途径。同样，串联四极杆和碰撞/反应细胞质谱法的最新发展可以通过去除质量利益来大大提高灵敏度。 Oberlin的科学教育通过个人和协作教师的积极和产品研究计划得到了增强，并且对LA-ICP-MS系统的访问将推进该机构的几项研究计划，这将使Oberlin能够吸引和留住顶尖的科学教师，并为他们提供基础设施，使他们继续保持我们的决犯，同时继续我们的领先培训。重要的是，本科生将成为LA-ICP-MS的主要用户，使他们能够发展实践经验和技能，可对他们在Sciencethis奖中的未来职业有用，反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的知识分子和更广泛的影响来评估来评估的支持。