MRI: Stable isotope analyses in a liberal arts college setting: teaching and research opportunities for undergraduates and faculty

地质和生物材料的元素和稳定同位素分析是研究近代和古代气候和环境变化的基本工具。通过这项核磁共振奖，布林莫尔学院将获得仪器设备，使研究人员和教育工作者能够在气候和环境变化研究方面为本科生提供严格的、与社会相关的独立研究经验。该仪器还将通过为布林茅尔学院的教师和论文学生提供生成高分辨率碳同位素数据的能力，用于推进教师研究。该仪器的获得将为活跃的研究项目提供更高分辨率、更便宜和更及时的碳同位素数据分析，例如：调查古代海洋条件的变化及其与大规模灭绝的关系，以及氮污染和温室气体浓度升高对入侵物种和潮汐湿地生态系统服务的影响。这最终将有助于培养一支更具科学素养的工作队伍，并将为有抱负的女科学家提供非常需要的分析技能。该仪器将通过提供内部分析能力，直接提高布林茅尔学院本科生的研究机会。这些仪器也将成为布林莫尔学院（Bryn Mawr College）两个STEM团队夏季和学期项目中不可或缺的组成部分，每个团队都是由来自波士顿城市公立学校的10名有抱负的科学家组成的多元化团队。Bryn Mawr学院为当前STEM Posse制定的计划使教师能够识别和弥补STEM专业多样化方法中的弱点。因此，该仪器最终将有助于增加STEM毕业生的多样性。具体来说，该奖项资助了布林莫尔学院购买Picarro双碳同位素分析仪，用于分析二氧化碳和甲烷的碳同位素组成，以及Costech元素燃烧系统。Picarro双碳同位素分析仪利用空腔衰荡光谱（CRDS）来测量碳的稳定同位素。Picarro CRDS设备比大型研究机构使用的同位素比质谱仪（IRMS）更便宜，更容易使用和维护。这项技术的进步使得稳定同位素分析可以用于文理学院的教学和研究。由于文理学院学生对科学应用于社会问题的需求日益增加，因此迫切需要为这些学生提供用于研究气候和环境变化的分析实践经验。提议的仪器也将用于开发实验室练习的入门，专业，和高级水平的课程在地质学和生物学计划。这些实验练习将发布在一个名为“本科生稳定同位素科学”的网站上，其他教育工作者可以从这个网站上访问教学计划、图像和课堂分析结果。本网站将在拟议项目结束后继续维持和更新。

Elemental and stable isotopic analyses of geological and biological materials are fundamental tools in the study of recent and ancient climate and environmental change. Through this MRI award, Bryn Mawr College will acquire instrumentation that will allow researchers and educators to provide undergraduate women with rigorous and socially relevant independent research experiences in climate and environmental change studies. The instrumentation will also be used to advance faculty research by providing Bryn Mawr College faculty and thesis students the ability to generate high-resolution carbon isotopic data. The acquisition of the proposed instrumentation will allow for higher resolution, less expensive, and timelier analysis of carbon isotopic data for active research programs such as: investigating changes in ancient ocean conditions and their relationships to mass extinctions and the implications of nitrogen pollution and elevated greenhouse gas concentrations on invasive species and ecosystem services in tidal wetlands. This will ultimately help train a more scientifically literate work force and will provide aspiring women scientists with analytical skills that are very much in-demand. The instrumentation will directly improve the research opportunities for undergraduate women at Bryn Mawr College by providing in-house analytical capabilities. The instrumentation will also be an integral component in summer and semester programming for the two Bryn Mawr College STEM Posses, each of which is a diverse group of ten aspiring scientists recruited from urban public schools in Boston. Bryn Mawr College's programming for the current STEM Posse has allowed faculty to identify and remedy weaknesses in approaches to diversifying STEM majors. Thus, the instrumentation will ultimately serve to help increase diversity within STEM graduates.Specifically, this award funds Bryn Mawr College's acquisition of a Picarro Dual Carbon Isotope Analyzer for analysis of the carbon isotopic composition of carbon dioxide and methane, coupled with a Costech Elemental Combustion System. The Picarro Dual Carbon Isotope Analyzer utilizes cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) in order to measure stable isotopes of carbon. Picarro CRDS devices are less expensive and are easier to use and maintain than the isotope ratio mass spectrometers (IRMS) operated by larger research institutions. This advance in technology allows for stable isotopic analysis to be used for teaching and research in a liberal arts college setting. Because of increased demand among liberal arts college students for applications of science to societal issues, there is a critical need to provide those students with practical experiences performing analyses that are used to study climate and environmental change. The proposed instrumentation will also be used to develop laboratory exercises for introductory, major, and advanced level courses in the Geology and Biology programs. These laboratory exercises will be posted on a website entitled Stable Isotope Science for Undergraduates from which other educators can access teaching plans, visuals and class analysis results. This website will be maintained and updated beyond the life of the proposed project.