Acquisition of a Tabletop Scanning Electron Microscope with EDS for Multidisciplinary Geoscience Research

Ball State University, Muncie IN

Investigators

Abstract

0842245 Fluegeman This grant supports acquisition of table top scanning electron microscope, a Hitachi Model TM-1000 Tabletop Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), which can scan uncoated samples at low vacuum and is equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) to permit semi-quantitative compositional mapping. The SEM would support a range of faculty and student research at Ball State University including: 1) sedimentary petrography; 2) understanding the effects of underground CO2 sequestration on reservoir rock petrophysics; 3) foraminiferal micropaleontology, biostratigraphy and paleoceanography; 3) igneous petrology; and 4) high temperature geochemistry and petrogenesis of geothermal deposits. Extant undergraduate departmental research immersion programs will foster student research experiences with electron microscopy.