MRI: Acquisition of ICP-OES Spectrometer

路德学院获得一台电感耦合等离子体光学发射光谱仪（ICP-OES）。ICP-OES是一种功能强大的仪器，能够灵敏地测量各种类型复杂样品中的微量元素，如钙、铁、锌、铜和其他金属。该仪器将成为路德学院加强研究和教育的宝贵资源，路德学院的教师广泛地让本科生参与他们的研究活动。ICP-OES将成为路德学院几个研究项目以及化学和环境研究课程的核心组成部分。获得这项技术将使路德学院的教师能够更有效地培训下一代科学家，并为学生提供在正式课堂环境中无法获得的机会。此外，该仪器将允许扩大正在进行的水质研究，以补充和加强以水为中心的社区推广工作，这对我们当地社区和州至关重要。ICP-OES将为路德学院新的和正在进行的项目扩展研究方向。一个应用程序将研究生物体，如小线虫秀丽隐杆线虫，如何调节金属浓度。这项工作将增加我们对金属在细胞和生物体的生长、繁殖和生存支持中的作用的理解。另一个项目将使用ICP-OES检查水环境（包括地表水和地下水）中微量金属、耐抗生素细菌和动物粪便之间的联系。此外，ICP-OES将加强一个正在进行的项目，重点关注细菌如何感知和响应金属，并扩大对生态系统和自然环境中金属如何影响细菌的认识。最后，一个专注于开发新型纳米晶体的创新项目有可能更好地理解光能转化为太阳能技术应用的电能。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。

An award is made to Luther College to acquire an inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES). ICP-OES is a powerful instrument able to sensitively measure small amounts of elements such as calcium, iron, zinc, copper, and other metals in various types of complex samples. This instrument will be a valuable resource for enhancing research and education at Luther College where faculty extensively engage undergraduate students in their research activities. The ICP-OES will be a central component of several research programs as well as Chemistry and Environmental Studies courses at Luther College. Access to this technology will enable Luther College faculty to more effectively train the next generation of scientists and provide opportunities for students that are not available in a formal class setting. Additionally, the instrument will allow expansion of ongoing water quality research to complement and strengthen community outreach efforts centered around water, which is vital to our local community and state.The ICP-OES will expand research directions for both new and ongoing projects at Luther College. One application will investigate how organisms, such as the small nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans, regulate metal concentrations. This work will increase our understanding of the role of metals in growth, reproduction, and survival of cells and organisms support. Another project will use the ICP-OES to examine connections between trace metals, antibiotic resistant bacteria, and animal waste in aquatic environments, including surface and ground water. Further, the ICP-OES will enhance an ongoing project focused on how bacteria sense and respond to metals and expand the knowledge of how metals impact bacteria in ecosystems and natural environments. Finally, an innovative project focused on developing novel nanocrystals has the potential for a better understanding of the conversion of light to electrical energy for solar technology applications.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.