RUI: Acquisition of FTIR Spectrometer and Microscope for Faculty-Student Collaborative Research in Geology

University Of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire WI

Investigators

Abstract

0216496 Ihinger Funds from this Major Research Instrumentation (MRI)grant will be used to acquire a Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer that will be housed in the Department of Geology at the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire (UWEC). The instrument will be equipped with a microscope attachment that will aid in the study of the kinetics of mineral growth and diffusion in natural geologic environments. The FTIR facility will be the primary analytical tool for a variety of collaborative research projects with undergraduates at UWEC. In particular, the instrument will be used in conjunction with funds secured by the Petrology Division at the NSF (award EAR-0126285) to investigate the nature of water-bearing impurities in hydrothermal quartz crystals This research builds on previous contributions resulting from collaborative research with undergraduate students, including discerning the growth rate of natural crystals and the timing of thermal events in metamorphic processes. The instrument will be the first of its kind available for academic use in an educational environment in all of northern and western Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire will provide a 30% match for the cost of acquisition of the equipment and will further provide 100% of the maintenance and upkeep costs of the instrument for the first five years after purchase. ***