Improvement of Soil and Ecosystem Analysis Laboratory

该项目为阿勒格尼学院环境科学系的植物和土壤、生态系统动力学和环境问题的本科研究提供必要的设备（碳/氢/氮分析仪和自动分析仪）。该项目始于1985年，当时是水质分析课程的现代化和水质实验室的发展。最近，该项目又增加了一个新的教授职位，提供生态系统生物地球化学和分析分析方面的专业知识，并引入了两门新课程：土壤与环境和生物地球化学。这两门课程都包括实地考察生态过程和样本收集，以及样品制备和仪器分析的实验室练习。该计划的另一个极其重要的组成部分是学生在高级综合研究项目中使用的仪器的可用性，这是所有学生都需要的。通过收购一台CHN分析仪和一台自动分析仪，该实验室的完成提供了使用现代技术和分析仪器进行生态系统和环境动力学过程级分析的直接经验。受助人将从非联邦来源获得相应的奖励。

This project is providing equipment (Carbon/Hydrogen/Nitrogen analyzer and an autoanalyzer) necessary to complete a modern instrumental analysis laboratory for undergraduate studies of plants and soils, ecosystem dynamics, and environmental problems in the Department of Environmental Science at Allegheny College. This program was begun in 1985 with modernization of a course in Water Quality Analysis and with development of a Water Quality laboratory. The program has been furthered recently by creation of a new faculty position to provide expertise in ecosystem biogeochemistry and analytical analysis, and by introduction of two new courses, Soils and the Environment, and Biogeochemistry. Both courses involve field trips for investigation of ecological processes and sample collection, and laboratory exercises for sample preparation and instrumental analysis. An additional and extremely important component of this program is availability of instruments for use by students during senior comprehensive research projects, required of all students. Completion of this laboratory through acquisition of a CHN analyzer and an autoanalyzer is providing direct experience in the use of modern techniques and analytical instrumentation to perform process-level analyses of ecosystem and environmental dynamics. The grantee is matching this award from non-Federal sources.