MRI: Acquisition of a Powder X-Ray Diffractometer to Enhance Faculty and Undergraduate Research and Education in Geology and Chemistry at SUNY Cortland

Suny College At Cortland, Cortland NY

Investigators

Abstract

0922814 McRoberts This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Funds from this grant will support the acquisition of a powder x-ray diffractometer (XRD) to facilitate research and research training in the Departments of Geology and Chemistry at the State University of New York at Cortland (SUNY-Cortland). The XRD will be used for phase identification of clay minerals in Mesozoic Paleoclimate studies and crystallographic characterization of novel metal-organic compounds. Two Co-I?s (Collins and Downey) are both early career scientists and new investigators to the NSF proposal process. The XRD will fill a gap in the analytical infrastructure at SUNY-Cortland, an institution that currently ranks in the top nine institutions in the U.S. that produce the largest numbers of K-12 teachers. Students exposed to modern methods of materials characterization and imparted with an understanding of data interpretation, potential error sources and analysis technique limitations are well prepared to disseminate a healthy understanding of the scientific process in our nation?s school systems.