Acquisition of an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer for Collaborative Research in Geochemistry

这笔赠款支持购买一台电感耦合等离子体质谱仪(ICP-MS)，以支持一个新的合作地球化学研究小组，该小组由西班牙裔服务机构CHICO的加利福尼亚州立大学地质和环境科学系的新的和高级教员组成。该仪器将支持微量元素分析，以促进教师、本科生和理工科学生进行与地球地球化学有关的跨学科研究。通过为学生提供实践分析体验，获得校园内的电感耦合等离子体质谱将促进本科生在地球化学方面的研究。研究人员具有指导非传统、代表性不足的本科独立STEM研究项目的丰富经验，从最初的开发到在区域或国家会议和出版物上的陈述。电感耦合等离子体质谱将被纳入自然科学学院和农业学院的20多个班级，为广泛的学生用户提供最先进的分析体验。与Gateway科学博物馆合作，地球化学研究小组将建立一个公民科学项目，以评估奇科地区的水质。这一支持与国家科学基金会促进科学进步和促进国家健康、繁荣和福利的使命是一致的，因为有针对性的环境研究具有社会相关性，目的是了解陆地水循环对改善水资源管理的影响，以及收购对培训下一代科学劳动力的影响。ICP-MS将支持NSF资助的地球化学项目和研究小组目前的其他合作，但更重要的是，它将使三个主要重点的新的多学科合作成为可能：水生物地球化学、矿床地球化学和矿山复垦；以及岩石学。该研究组目前正在进行各种研究，包括：铁在生物地球化学循环中的作用，通过生物过滤调节城市雨水径流，含金(金)矿床的矿化，评估历史采矿造成的土壤和水的污染，叠层石的交代作用，以及玄武岩火山链的岩石成因演化。正在开发的新项目包括研究拉森火山国家公园(加利福尼亚州)的地表水质量，火山流体和气体对周围土壤和植被的影响，以及加州发现的最大喷发单元(洛夫乔伊玄武岩)的岩石学。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。

This grant supports acquisition of an Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS) to support a new collaborative Geochemistry Research Group, consisting of new and senior faculty in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at California State University, Chico, a Hispanic Serving Institution. The instrument will support trace element analyses that will facilitate cross-disciplinary research related to the geochemistry of the Earth by faculty, undergraduates and M.S. students. Access to an on-campus ICP-MS will facilitate undergraduate research in geochemistry by providing students with hands-on analytical experience. The investigators have significant combined experience mentoring non-traditional, underrepresented undergraduate independent STEM research projects, from initial development through presentation at regional or national meetings and publications. The ICP-MS will be incorporated into over 20 classes in the College of Natural Sciences and the College of Agriculture, giving a wide range of student users state-of-the-art analytical experience. In association with the Gateway Science Museum, the Geochemistry Research Group will set up a Citizen Science project to assess water quality in the Chico area. This support is congruent with NSFs mission of promoting the progress of science and advancing the national health, prosperity and welfare given the societal relevance of targeted environmental research aimed at understanding the terrestrial water cycle with implications for improved water resource management and the impact of the acquisition on training the next generation scientific workforce. The ICP-MS will support NSF-funded projects in geochemistry and other current collaborations of the research group but, more importantly, it will enable new multidisciplinary collaborations in three main foci: Aqueous Biogeochemistry, Geochemistry of Ore Deposits and Mine Reclamation; and Petrology. The research group is currently engaged in a variety of research including: the role of iron in biogeochemical cycling, mediating urban storm-water runoff by biofiltration, mineralization of Gold (Au) bearing deposits, assessing soil and water contamination from historic mining, metasomatism of stromatolites, and the petrogenetic evolution of a chain of basaltic volcanoes. New projects in development include studies of surface water quality in Lassen Volcanic National Park (California), impacts of volcanic fluids and gases on surrounding soils and vegetation, and petrology of the largest eruptive unit (the Lovejoy Basalt) identified in California.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.