Acquisition of a clumped isotope gas-source isotope-ratio mass spectrometer and carbonate device for inclusive research and education at the University of Washington

购买质谱仪和样品制备设备将用于促进地球系统科学不同领域的研究和教育，包括地质学、古气候以及生物和海洋科学。新仪器将极大地增强华盛顿大学(UW)新的地球化学方法的分析能力，以精确测量在土壤、湖泊、海洋、断裂带、热液系统和实验室实验中形成的碳酸盐矿物的温度和化学。温度估计和尖端化学分析将支持对现代和古代环境的研究，以研究地球气候系统、过去的大气二氧化碳浓度、科罗拉多高原等地貌的起源，以及生物多样性的地质驱动因素。对珊瑚和贝壳生物的分析将支持与生态、生理和生物化学有关的环境和海洋科学研究。该仪器还将能够分析断裂带和热液系统中形成的矿物，以研究地下流体与断层作用、古代地震以及与矿床、关键金属和二氧化碳封存有关的化学反应的相互作用。这项仪器收购提供的研究和教育机会将推动威斯康星大学和地球科学界的跨学科研究和教育。该奖项将通过直接支持代表性不足的少数族裔学生和广泛传播包容性接触本科生的最佳做法，促进本科生实验室培训和研究的公平性。收购仪器将大大加强基本地球科学研究和教育的基础设施，并为技术创新、具有社会意义的科学发现和培养多样化的STEM人才做出贡献。该奖项支持购买和安装新的碳酸盐样品制备设备和高精度气体源同位素比质谱仪(IRMS)，以测量威斯康星州大学二氧化碳的块状同位素，以推进构造学、古气候、地球化学和其他地球科学学科的跨学科研究。收购IRMS和样品制备系统将能够对小(0.5毫克)碳酸盐样品进行快速、高精度的完整稳定同位素分析(包括质量44-49)，用于正在进行的广泛研究和新的研究，包括双团块同位素分析的新应用，并释放现有仪器，以大幅提高新的三重氧同位素分析的能力。该系统将取代1)用于大型(8-10毫克)碳酸盐样品的离线定制制备系统，2)用于2012年由美国国家科学基金会资助的传统聚集(质量过剩47)工作的带有改进收集器的现有IRMS，这两个系统都将进行优化，以支持碳酸盐氧-17过量分析；以及3)取代不再提供可靠的传统碳酸盐块状稳定同位素数据的老化仪器。通过这种方式，拟议的仪器采购将被用来扩大碳酸盐氧-17过量分析、传统的大宗稳定同位素分析的能力，并能够对小样本进行新的高精度双束同位素(47和48过剩)分析，使数百名地球科学研究人员和学生大大受益。拟议的研究与教育和宣传紧密结合在一起。该项目将通过以下方式增加本科生地学实验室的机会：1)与面向少数族裔本科生的队列计划合作，直接支持学生的技术培训和研究；2)在全国范围内传播以研究为基础的做法，以增强归属感、可获得性、公正、公平、多样性，并将其纳入本科生地学实验室研究和培训。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。

The acquisition of a mass spectrometer and sample preparation equipment will be used to advance research and education in diverse fields of Earth-system science including geology, paleoclimate, and biological and ocean sciences. The new instrumentation will greatly enhance analytical capabilities in new geochemistry methods at the University of Washington (UW) to precisely measure the temperature and chemistry of carbonate minerals when formed in soils, lakes, oceans, fault zones, hydrothermal systems, and laboratory experiments. The temperature estimates and cutting-edge chemical analyses will support research on modern and ancient environments to study Earth’s climate system, past atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, the origin of landforms like the Colorado Plateau, and geologic drivers of biodiversity. Analyses of corals and shelled organisms will support environmental and marine sciences research relevant to ecology, physiology, and biochemistry. The instrumentation will also enable analysis of minerals formed in fault zones and hydrothermal systems to study the interactions of sub-surface fluids and faulting, ancient earthquakes, and chemical reactions relevant to ore deposits, critical metals, and carbon dioxide sequestration. The research and educational opportunities provided by this instrument acquisition will advance trans-disciplinary research and education at UW and in the Earth science community. The award will advance equity in undergraduate laboratory training and research through direct support of underrepresented minority students and broad dissemination of best practices for inclusive engagement with undergraduates. The instrument acquisition will substantially enhance infrastructure for essential Earth sciences research and education and contribute to technological innovation, societally-relevant scientific discovery, and building diverse STEM talent. This award supports the acquisition and installation of a new carbonate sample preparation device and high-precision gas-source isotope-ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS) to measure clumped isotopologues of CO2 at UW, to advance interdisciplinary research in tectonics, paleoclimate, geochemistry, and other Earth-science disciplines. The acquisition of the IRMS and sample preparation system will enable rapid, high-precision complete stable isotopic analysis (masses 44 - 49 inclusive) of small (0.5 mg) carbonate samples for a wide range of ongoing and new research including novel applications of dual-clumped isotope analysis, and free up existing instrumentation to substantially increase capacity for novel triple-oxygen-isotope analyses. The system will replace 1) an off-line custom preparation system for large (8-10 mg) carbonate samples, 2) an existing IRMS with modified collector for traditional clumped (mass 47 excess) work acquired with NSF funding in 2012, both of which will be optimized to support carbonate oxygen-17 excess analyses; and 3) replace ageing instrumentation that no longer provides reliable conventional carbonate bulk stable isotope data. In this way, the proposed instrument acquisition will be leveraged to expand capabilities for carbonate oxygen-17 excess analysis, traditional bulk stable isotope analyses, and enable new high-precision dual clumped isotope (47 and 48 excess) analyses of small samples, substantially benefitting hundreds of Earth-science researchers and students. The proposed research is tightly integrated with education and outreach. The project will increase undergraduate geoscience lab opportunities through 1) direct support for student technical training and research in partnership with a cohort program for underrepresented minority undergraduates, and 2) national dissemination of research-based practices for enhancing belonging, accessibility, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in undergraduate geoscience laboratory research and training.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.