Equipment: Acquisition of Stable Isotope Mass Spectrometer for Isotopic Analyses of Sulfur, Carbon, and Oxygen

该合同将使迈阿密大学罗森斯蒂尔海洋、大气和地球科学学院海洋地球科学系能够获得稳定的同位素比质谱仪(SIRMS)和外围设备。这些仪器测量不同类型样品中硫、碳、氮和氧的稳定同位素浓度的微小差异。新设备将提高我们的分析能力，允许测量有机物以及碳酸盐、硫酸盐和磷酸盐矿物。这些新的分析能力将支持积极和计划的研究，补充目前使用的现有仪器，并支持大学的研究和教育任务。研究生和本科生将接受关于SIRMS操作和维护的实践培训，以及通过正在进行的和未来的研究进行数据分析和解释。首席调查人员也将通过他们的教学分享这些方法。来自迈阿密大学和其他合作机构的研究生和本科生将通过学生主导的课堂项目获得SIRMS的实践经验。该奖项还将支持外展活动，如培训一名专业科学硕士学生，一个旨在培训当地学生设计和3D打印科学应用的研讨会，以及一个YouTube频道，将发布关于SIRMS维护和操作的视频，以加强我们自己的研究小组之外的知识转移。获得拟议的SIRMS将对支持几个正在进行和计划中的研究项目至关重要，这些项目促进了对地质环境的调查，包括热带、浅海碳酸盐环境到红海底部的咸水池，以及类似于早期地球特征的极端环境。我们将继续分析沉积物、沉积有机质、页岩、珊瑚、卤水池、土壤、植物、洞穴、天青石、海水和沉积物孔隙水的样品，并将促进对鱼类碳酸盐、亚马逊植物和土壤以及微生物垫和叠层石的新测量。该仪器的新功能，包括有机物、硫酸盐和磷酸盐的高温热解，将为正在进行的和未来的项目增加创新的地球化学能力，增强该部门已有的技术。这一新仪器还将支持PI教学，为研究生和本科生提供稳定同位素分析的实践经验。该项目还将支持新的教育和外联活动，包括为一名专业科学硕士学生提供为期6个月的实习；为本科生举办MakersLab讲习班，培训本科生有关科学应用的3D设计和打印原理；以及一个YouTube频道，提供至少10个关于研究和IRMS维护的视频。最后，我们将通过罗森斯蒂尔学校的妇女参与科学日活动和科学日活动中的多样性来传播我们的研究。同时，该奖项带来的新的分析能力将支持迈阿密大学最先进的研究和教育。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 will enable the acquisition of a stable isotope ratio mass spectrometer (SIRMS) and peripheral equipment to be used in the Department of Marine Geosciences at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. These instruments measure small differences in the concentration of stable isotopes of sulfur, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen in a variety of sample types. The new equipment will increase our analytical capabilities, allowing for measurements of organic matter, as well as carbonate, sulfate, and phosphate minerals. These new analytical capabilities will support active and planned research, complement the available instrumentation currently used, and support the research and education mission of the university. Graduate and undergraduate students will receive hands-on training in the operation and maintenance of SIRMS, as well as data analysis and interpretation through ongoing and future research. The principal investigators will also share these approaches through their teaching. Both graduate and undergraduate students from the University of Miami and other partner institutions will gain hands-on experience with SIRMS through student-led class projects. This award will also support outreach activities, such as the training of a Master of Professional Science student, a workshop aimed at training local students in design and 3D printing for scientific applications, and a YouTube channel where videos on SIRMS maintenance and operation will be posted to enhance knowledge transfer beyond our own research groups.Acquisition of the proposed SIRMS will be vital in supporting several active and planned research programs facilitating investigations into geological environments, including tropical, shallow-marine carbonate settings to brine pools at the bottom of the Red Sea, to extreme environments analogous to conditions that characterized early Earth. We will continue our history of analyzing samples from sediments, sedimentary organic matter, shales, corals, brine pools, soils, plants, speleothems, celestine, seawater and sediment pore waters, and will facilitate new measurements of fish carbonates, Amazonian plants and soils, as well as microbial mats and stromatolites. The new capabilities of this instrument, including high temperature pyrolysis of organic matter, sulphates, and phosphates will add innovative geochemical capabilities augmenting established techniques in the department to ongoing and future projects. This new instrument will also support PI teaching, giving graduate and undergraduate students hands on experience with stable isotope analyses. This project will also support new education and outreach initiatives, including a 6-month internship for a Master of Professional Science Student, a MakersLab Workshop aimed at training undergraduate students on the principles of 3D design and printing for science applications, and a YouTube channel providing at least 10 videos on research and IRMS maintenance. Finally, we will disseminate our research through Women in Science Day and Diversity in Science Day events at the Rosenstiel School. In concert, new analytical capabilities enabled by this award will support state of the art research and education at the University of Miami.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.