MRI: Acquisition of an ICP-OES Spectrometer for Undergraduate Research and Teaching

Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction CO

Investigators

Abstract

0116419 Hrncir This grant, made through the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program, will provide funds for the purchase of an ICP-OES spectrometer for Mesa State College. Mesa State is a predominately undergraduate institution with a growing emphasis on undergraduate research and educational outreach. The instrument will be used by the geology and environmental science programs, which are experiencing significant growth. The faculty in these programs have a number of funded research projects involving undergraduate students. Specific projects that would utilize the ICP-OES include a study of manganese biogeochemistry in streams impacted by acid mine drainage, analyses of dissolved metals in soil pore waters to elucidate factors affecting soil mineral weathering in the high desert ecosystem of western Colorado, studies of non-point source pollution to the Colorado River, and a study of the sources and fate of Selenium in shallow groundwaters of the Grand Valley of western Colorado. Acquisition of this instrument will provide support for this research. The ICP will complement other major instrumentation at Mesa State and will fill a need for modern atomic spectroscopy. Mesa State College provides higher education for a large portion of western Colorado and eastern Utah. Educational outreach programs to K-12 teachers and students are becoming increasingly important. There are a number of collaborative programs underway and more are planned. The ICP spectrometer will be used to provide access to modern atomic spectroscopy to the participants in these outreach collaborations. ***