| NSF Org: |
EAR Division Of Earth Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | February 13, 2019 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | February 13, 2019 |
| Award Number: | 1841153 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Russell Kelz
EAR Division Of Earth Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | March 1, 2019 |
| End Date: | February 28, 2023 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $144,406.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $144,406.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
123 WASHINGTON ST NEWARK NJ US 07102-3026 (973)972-0283 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
101 Warren Street, Smith Hall Ro Newark NJ US 07012-1811 |
| 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): | Instrumentation & Facilities |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): | |
| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
This grant supports the purchase of two state-of-the-art scientific instruments: a nuclear magnetic resonance borehole logging tool and a spectral induced polarization borehole logging tool. These instruments will be used to enhance and expand ongoing research in the earth sciences and near surface geophysics at Rutgers University, Newark. The faculty are developing methods to improve the evaluation of groundwater, to monitor processes associated with contaminant remediation, and to evaluate carbon cycling in peatlands. The equipment will also be used to recruit, educate and train undergraduate and graduate students, specifically focusing on under-represented minorities, in near surface geophysics.
This grant supports the acquisition of two state-of-the-art scientific instruments to enhance near surface geophysics borehole logging investigations: a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) borehole logging tool (Vista Clara Dart), and a spectral induced polarization (SIP) borehole logging tool (Mount Sopris QL40-SIP). These borehole tools will be used by leading experts in both NMR and SIP at Rutgers University, Newark to address scientific questions in multiple subfields of the earth sciences, including: hydrogeophysics, biogeophysics and carbon cycling in peatlands. Within each of these subfields, the borehole instrumentation will allow the near-surface geophysics researchers at Rutgers University, Newark to develop critical theoretical relationships in the laboratory, and test and apply them to answer pertinent scientific questions in the field. In the area of hydrogeophysics the instrumentation will be used to support ongoing projects to improve our ability to estimate parameters used to quantify the flow of water, both in aquifers and in the vadose zone. In biogeophysical research, these instruments will allow us to upscale laboratory measurements, which have shown that NMR and SIP parameters are sensitive to biogeochemical alterations associated with contaminant degradation processes, to the field scale. In the area of carbon cycling in the peatlands, measurements from the instrumentation will provide much needed information to assess how variations in peat fabric structure observed across peatlands regulate gas release to the atmosphere. The equipment will be available for use by students in multiple NSF supported programs that are run by faculty at Rutgers University, Newark and are aimed at increasing the participation of under-represented minority students in STEM fields, including the Garden State-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, the Rutgers University REU program, and the GEOPATHS near surface geophysics field experience program. Graduate students will also have full access to the requested instrumentation, which will allow them to obtain unique skill-set and expand their research interests, which will make them more competitive on the job market.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
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.
The project funded the acquisition of geophysical instrumentation to support and expand research in hydrogeophysics, critical zone geophysics, and carbon cycling in peatlands. The equipment was used to recruit, educate and train undergraduate and graduate students, specifically students minoritized in STEM, in state-of-the-art geophysical measurements.
Intellectual Merit Activities: The equipment obtained from this award was a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) borehole logging system (Vista Clara Dart), an electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) system, and a GPS real time kinematics (RTK) positioning system. The equipment has been used across several NSF supported research projects: (1) To support research in critical zone geophysics instrumentation was deployed at the Susquehanna Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory to obtain a depth profile of water content and fracture porosity; the high sensitivity of the NMR equipment to the water content yielded high quality measurements that had not previously been attainable. (2) To support water resources research in the Peruvian Andes, the instrumentation was deployed at a small watershed in the Peruvian Andes to understand seasonal water cycling in the puna biome, a seasonally dry grass and shrub ecosystem at the altitudinal limits of plant growth that provides the primary source of water to many small agrarian communities. (2) To advance understanding of methane gas dynamics in terrestrial peatlands using geophysical technologies, the instrumentation was deployed in a northern peatland in Maine. The NMR, RTK, and ERT equipment will continue to support ongoing research in geophysics at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University, Newark.
Broader Impacts: The equipment has been used in support of NSF programs aimed at broadening pathways into the geosciences and support student retention including: (1) Geophysics of the Near Surface, an outdoor field experience program for students which aims to recruit students minoritized in STEM to Geoscience through an immersive program in critical zone geophysics. (2) Water resources in the Peruvian Andes, which aims to give students an international research experience and address critical water resources research questions. Six undergraduate students, all racially or ethnically minoritized in STEM, were directly supported to perform research in geophysics through this grant. Six additional undergraduate and graduate students were trained in the use of this specialized equipment, and demonstrations on equipment use have been given to > 30 undergraduates and graduate students. The equipment will continue to be used to support educational programs and student training in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University, Newark.
Last Modified: 05/03/2023
Modified by: Kristina Keating
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