Approximately a decade ago, the Department of Geology and Geophysics initiated a new major program in the Environmental Geosciences. The program was designed with the objective of giving the undergraduate students a primary understanding of surface and near subsurface geologic phenomena that directly influences the quality of our natural surroundings. The topics that were initially included were geologic hazards, hydrology, marine processes, chemistry of natural waters, sedimentation processes, and geophysics. In response to student interest, the program has recently been extended to include the effects of anthropogenic changes, fate and transport of pollutants, and the role of metals in the near surface environment. In addition, increasingly more Environmental Geoscience majors are getting involved in actual field and laboratory projects at environmentally contaminated sites. Student participation in these projects occurs in a variety of ways, including laboratory exercises, senior theses, honors program studies, and individual research projects. The department's analytical facilities include gas chromatograph, neutron activation instrumentation, x-ray diffraction, multisensor water quality probe, and several other smaller instruments. However, the department has previously had no method of measuring concentration of inorganics in water/solid samples. This project addresses the acquisition of an Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) spectrometer, an instrument that greatly enhances the `hands-on ` educational experience and provides research opportunities for the Environmental Geoscience majors. The undergraduate students are learning the principles of the ICP analytical technique and instrument operation and are getting the opportunity to perform course exercises as well as student senior research. The ICP instrument was selected for its relative ease of use, for its ability to detect low levels of wide range of elements, and because ICP is the EPA standard for analysis of metals in aqueous and other environmental samples.
