Equipment will be purchased to upgrade a new petrography lab: fifteen binocular polarizing microscopes and two automated point counting stages. Ten of the microscopes will be used to examine samples in transmitted light, and five will be outfitted for either transmitted or reflected light. They will be used for General Education courses and courses for advanced geology students. They will permit the teaching of optical mineralogy in the mineralogy course, and will be used in two lab exercises in physical geology. They will also be used to enhance economic geology and sedimentary petrology courses. The university will provide 50% matching funds.
