Upgrade of geochemical analytical facilities at South Dakota Mines

该合同支持南达科他州矿业与技术学院(南达科他州矿场)购买离子色谱系统和样品制备设备，以实现该地区目前尚不可能进行的多种低温地球化学分析。离子色谱法用于测量包括天然水、土壤和岩石提取物在内的一系列样品中的主要和次要元素浓度。使用离子层析系统将促进侧重于包括水质和土壤化学在内的一系列主题的项目。该仪器将成为多用户研究设施的一部分，使校园内的低温地球化学研究得以发展，并为来自更大地区的用户提供访问机会。该仪器还将被纳入我们本科地质学专业的课程，培养下一代地球科学家。资金还将用于支持为南达科他州矿场和包括奥格拉拉·拉科塔学院在内的当地部落学院的学生和教职员工举办关于乐器培训的动手讲习班。对岩石、土壤和天然水进行高质量的地球化学测量，对于在现代环境和深部解决地球科学中的一系列问题至关重要。这笔赠款将支持升级南达科他州矿场的分析地球化学设施，以便能够测量比目前更多样化的样品类型的更广泛的分析物，重点放在低温地球化学的应用上。具体地说，资金将用于购买阳离子和阴离子的离子色谱(IC)系统，并升级低温地球化学样品制备设备。这种设备目前无法在南达科他州矿场或南达科他州西部地区的其他地方获得，需要外包到至少300英里外的其他设施。总体而言，这些仪器和设备将增强南达科他州矿业公司为Pi Keenan、Co-Pi Beeler和其他人提供的研究和教学能力，并将更好地利用校园内现有的仪器设备，使一整套必要的低温地球化学分析能够在内部进行。IC仪器将支持正在进行的各种研究项目，包括调查现代和古代环境中的生物地球化学循环，研究脊椎动物化石过程，以及评估黑山和大平原北部地区的水质。此外，IC系统将用于为南达科他州矿产和奥格拉拉拉科塔学院的学生、教职员工和教职员工开发研讨会和课程模块，以扩大体验式学习机会。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 award supports the acquisition of an ion chromatography system and sample preparation equipment at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (South Dakota Mines) to enable a diversity of low-temperature geochemical analyses currently not possible in the region. Ion chromatography is used to measure major and minor element concentrations in a range of sample materials including natural waters and soil and rock extracts. Access to an ion chromatography system will facilitate projects focused on a range of topics including water quality and soil chemistry. The instrument will be part of a multiuser research facility, enabling the growth of low-temperature geochemistry research on campus and provide access to users from across the greater region. The instrument will also be incorporated into courses for our undergraduate geology students, training the next generation of Earth scientists. Funds will also be used to support hands-on workshops for training on the instrumentation for students and staff at South Dakota Mines and local tribal colleges including Oglala Lakota College. Producing high-quality geochemical measurements of rocks, soils, and natural waters is essential to address a wide range of questions in the Earth sciences in both modern environments and through deep time. This grant will support upgrades to the analytical geochemistry facilities at South Dakota Mines to enable measurements of a wider range of analytes from more diverse sample types than is currently possible with a focus on applications in low-temperature geochemistry. Specifically, funds will be used to purchase an ion chromatography (IC) system for cations and anions and upgrades to low-temperature geochemistry sample preparation equipment. This equipment is currently unavailable at South Dakota Mines or elsewhere in the western South Dakota region, requiring outsourcing to other facilities that are at least three hundred miles away. Collectively, this instrumentation and equipment will enhance the research and teaching capabilities available at South Dakota Mines for PI Keenan, Co-PI Beeler, and others, and will better leverage existing instrumentation on campus to enable a full suite of essential low-temperature geochemical analyses to be performed in-house. A variety of ongoing research projects will be supported by the IC instrumentation including investigations of biogeochemical cycling in modern and ancient environments, studies of vertebrate fossilization processes, and assessments of water quality in the Black Hills and Northern Great Plains region. In addition, the IC system will be used to develop workshops and course modules for students, faculty, and staff from South Dakota Mines and Oglala Lakota College to expand experiential learning opportunities.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.