This one-year immersion into the chemistry department at Loyola University New Orleans will provide the PI with the opportunity to develop her skills and knowledge in chemistry and to expand her research in interdisciplinary directions. In addition, the PI will expand on-going teaching collaborations between the mathematics and chemistry departments. The objective of the initial research project is to develop a fitting algorithm to allow for the determination of isotopic abundances in mixed gasses using Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The algorithm will fit theoretical spectra developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to FTIR spectra to extract isotopic abundances. The successful completion of this project will provide the scientific community with an inexpensive, easily attainable mechanism for determining relative abundance of isotopes. In addition, this project will expand the opportunities of undergraduate students by involving them in the research efforts. The PI will also collaboratively develop two courses that will be of interest to science and mathematics majors using real data and examples that come directly from laboratory experiments.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS)
Type
Standard Grant (Standard)
Application #
0728285
Program Officer
Dean M Evasius
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2008-01-01
Budget End
2008-12-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2007
Total Cost
$99,809
Indirect Cost
Name
Loyola University New Orleans
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
New Orleans
State
LA
Country
United States
Zip Code
70118