Technician Support for the WHOI ICPMS Facility

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA

Investigators

Abstract

EAR-0318137 Peucker-Ehrenbrink This proposal requests technician support for Research Specialist Lary Ball, the manager of the ICPMS Facility at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and primary operator of the ThermoFinnigan NEPTUNE multicollector ICPMS. Lary Ball supervises Research Associate David Schneider and Senior Research Assistant Scot Birdwhistell, who are responsible for the routine operation of the ELEMENT2, a single collector ICPMS. Lary Ball has two decades of ICP experience with optical and sector-field instruments. He was involved in establishing the WHOI ICP Facility in 1997 and has been instrumental in developing it into a well-operated, productive and open facility with a broad in-house and external user base. His expertise in ICP spectrometers, mechanical and electronic skills, aptitude for technical solutions to analytical problems combined with his interpersonal skills make him an ideal facility manager. This proposal is aimed at fostering the development of critical analytical protocols (Li, Cl, Mg, Ca, Fe, Sr, Cd, Nd, Hf, Os, Pb, Th, U) on the NEPTUNE, through support of Lary Ball, so the NEPTUNE facility can become self-sustaining in the future with a diverse user base driven by a broad range of new analytical platforms. Support for a full-time technician position will have broader impacts by introducing students, post-docs and guest scientists to state-of-the-art instrumentation, thereby mitigating the "black box" mentality that may overwhelm the geochemistry community with abundant isotope data of questionable quality. Lary Ball will be intimately involved in training users on the NEPTUNE. He will participate in the dissemination of the "tricks-of-the-trade" through a web-based MC-ICPMS user group, analogous to the very effective on-line ELEMENT user group. Development and timely publication of new analytical protocols will benefit a broad and diverse user base at WHOI and beyond.