Karl F. Topper DUE 9552363 Mesa State College FY1995 $ 53,475 Grand Junction, CO 81501 ILI - Instrumentation Project: Interdisciplinary Title: Instructional Improvements in Analytical Instrumentation Used for Environmental Studies Mesa State College is providing leadership through its development of an interdisciplinary curriculum within undergraduate environmental education. One of the program strengths lies in the extensive laboratory experiences for students. There is an emphasis on the proper use of analytical instrumentation to aide environmental site assessments. The use of field portable instrumentation in conjunction with more traditional analytical chemistry is the key to insuring effective assessments of contaminated areas. We will develop a series of laboratories which will provide students with an understanding of how to effectively use modern instrumentation both in the field and within the laboratory. Students will learn through hands-on exercises and classroom discussions the importance of scientifically assessing environmental systems. This will also provide students with a basis for understanding the chemical and physical factors which affect the environmental fate of contaminants. The instrumentation in this project will be used in an integrated manner to examine the metal composition of environmental matrices. The results of this project will be disseminated through presentations, preparation of lab manuals, textbooks and research publications. This project will also improve geology studies and a new chemistry degree.
