| NSF Org: |
EAR Division Of Earth Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | March 23, 2010 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | March 23, 2010 |
| Award Number: | 0958928 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Russell Kelz
EAR Division Of Earth Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | March 15, 2010 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2011 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $295,961.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $295,961.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| ARRA Amount: | $295,961.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1101 N BEVER ST WOOSTER OH US 44691 (330)263-2293 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
1101 N BEVER ST WOOSTER OH US 44691 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Major Research Instrumentation |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
0958928
Pollock
This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
This Major Research Instrumentation Recovery and Reinvestment (MRI-R2) Program grant supports acquisition of an x-ray diffractometer (XRD) and an x-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF) to enhance faculty and undergraduate research at the College of Wooster, an independent liberal arts college in northeast Ohio. Two of the PIs (Pollock and Judge) are new NSF PIs, a goal of the NSF for the expenditure of ARRA funds. The XRD and XRF will support mineral phase identification, crystallographic structure refinements and elemental analysis of natural materials, respectively. PI and student research in igneous petrology, environmental chemistry, materials science, paleoclimate and archaeology will take advantage of the requested instrumental capabilities. The College of Wooster maintains an independent study requirement for all students and the XRD and XRF will support student research training. The PIs will integrate instrumental experience into existing outreach programs that target middle school girls, high school students, and local teachers.
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Through the Major Research Instrumentation Program, the National Science Foundation funded the purchase and setup of an X-ray Lab in The College of Wooster Geology Department. The Department acquired an X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) and an X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (XRF) to characterize the structure and composition of crystalline materials. The instruments have been added to the Registry of Analytical Equipment (http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/petrology/instruments.html), which seeks to foster excellence in science by connecting researchers, educators, and students to analytical facilities. Both instruments have educational and research applications. Student and faculty researchers from The College of Wooster Chemistry Department have already utilized the XRD to characterize the structure of a novel swelling material that is used for the remediation of contaminated water. In another research application, undergraduate students from six different primarily undergraduate institutions used the XRF to determine the chemical composition of rocks they collected during a Keck Geology Consortium project in Iceland. Educational materials have been developed and used in upper-level undergraduate geology courses to characterize the mineralogy and chemistry of rocks. In addition, the X-ray lab was used in the Expanding Your Horizons Program, a workshop that introduces 5th and 6th grade girls to hands-on experiences in math and science. More information about the outreach, educational, and research application of the Wooster X-ray lab can be found on its website (http://woosterxraylab.voices.wooster.edu/). In general, the Wooster X-ray Lab is used by a range of geoscientists to understand the formation and evolution of earth materials. But because of the versatility of the instruments, the lab is already supporting multidisciplinary use. By making the lab widely available and easily accessible online, we have helped satisfy a regional analytical need and hope to encourage cutting-edge interdisciplinary research.
Last Modified: 10/17/2011
Modified by: Meagen Pollock
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