MRI: Acquisition of a Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer to Enable Ultra-Trace Element Analysis at Washington State University

华盛顿州立大学（WSU）获得了一份合同，将获得一台全反射x射线荧光（TXRF）光谱仪，以支持生命和环境科学。这台机器将通过新知识的进步和应用，为华盛顿州立大学的卓越研究和教学使命做出重大贡献。研究人员将深入研究影响地球上所有生命的生物地球化学循环，特别是微生物、植物和动物体内宏量和微量营养素的平衡。这项工作最终将有助于确保全球粮食供应的质量和数量。新的仪器也将有助于为学生提供一个良好的培训环境。研究生和本科生将接受TXRF光谱仪的实践指导。除了获得最先进的技术培训外，他们还将学习粮食作物的微量元素和健康人类饮食的离子水平成分。因此，学生们将准备好并参与到学习中来，改善健康状况，并有可能从事STEM职业。TXRF提供的高灵敏度和准确的检测分析将识别土壤、水、生物和食物中的营养物质和有毒金属离子，直至亚细胞水平。研究人员将利用TXRF集中在三个科学探究领域：1)金属离子对细胞功能和植物生理的重要性；2)食品的营养成分及其对人类和动物健康的影响；3)矿物成分在生态系统中对生物多样性和污染缓解的作用。在这些不同领域的调查将加强对全球生物地球化学循环的理解，特别是营养物质和毒素在环境及其微生物、植物和动物中移动的系统和过程。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智力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 Washington State University (WSU) to acquire a total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) spectrometer in support of life and environmental sciences. The machine will significantly contribute to WSU's mission of research and teaching excellence through the advancement and application of new knowledge. Researchers will intensely study the biogeochemical cycles that impact all life on earth, examining in particular the balances of macro and micronutrients within microorganisms, plants, and animals. This work will ultimately help ensure the quality and quantity of global food supplies. The new instrumentation will also contribute to an excellent training environment for students. Graduate and undergraduate students will receive hands-on instruction on the TXRF spectrometer. In addition to gaining state-of-the-art technological training, they will learn the trace elements of food crops and the ion level constituents of a healthy human diet. Students will thus be prepared and engaged to advance in their studies, improve health, and potentially pursue STEM careers. The highly sensitive and accurate detection analysis provided by the TXRF will identify nutrients and toxic metal ions in soil, water, organisms, and food down to the subcellular levels. Researchers will use the TXRF to focus on three areas of scientific inquiry: 1) the importance of metal ions for cellular function and plant physiology; 2) the nutrient composition of food and its impact on human and animal health; and 3) the role of mineral compositions in ecosystems for biodiversity and pollution mitigation. Investigations in these diverse areas will enhance the understanding of the global biogeochemical cycle, specifically the systems and processes by which nutrients and toxins move through the environment and its microbes, plants, and animalsThis 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.