The PIs request funding to acquire a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS) with a multipurpose sampler for Shannon Point Marine Center (SPMC). The requested instrument has a scan range that will enable it to detect and identify a diverse range of compounds. The multipurpose sampler will allow liquid and headspace samples to be injected manually or with an autosampler. It will also allow samples to be concentrated and then be desorbed and injected into the GC/MS. The instrument will be used by marine scientists and students, including many members of underrepresented groups, at SPMC and by visiting scientists and student researchers from other institutions who are working at SPMC. This instrument system will provide capabilities that are currently unavailable to researchers at the lab, even at the main Western Washington University campus. The instrument purchased on this grant will be used by SPMC faculty and research staff, visiting scientists, and participants in SPMC?s NSF-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates and Multicultural Initiative in the Marine Science: Undergraduate Participation programs.
Broader Impacts:
SPMC has a long track record of training and education of underrepresented groups, including the 2002 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring for their Multicultural Initiative in Marine Sciences. SPMC has Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) and Multicultural Initiative in the Marine Sciences: Undergraduate Participation (MIMSUP) programs. There is also a strong track record of dissemination of research results, including both presentations at conferences and publication in peer reviewed journals. In support of basic science, as this MRI is, the SPMC group has demonstrated noteworthy dedication to impacting diverse areas of science and segments of society.
The purpose of the project was to purchase and install a gas chromatograph/ mass spectrometer equipped with an automated multipurpose sampler and thermal desorption system. The system will allow researchers to identify and quantify chemicals of interest being produced marine seaweeds and invertebrate animals from local habitats. It will improve the quality of the studies by 1) allowing researchers to more definitively identify chemicals being produced by marine plants and animals, 2) increasing the sensitivity of the analyses being conducted, 3) allowing researchers to better control heating and cooling of some of the plants and animals being studied, 4) increasing the accuracy of the analyses by using a robotic system to handle samples, and 5) increase safety by using a robotic system to handle the samples and reducing the amounts of toxic chemicals being handled by researchers and students. The system has been purchased and installed. The users include researchers and undergraduate and graduate students at the Shannon Point Marine Center, including members of underrepresented groups. The grant also hired an unemployed, disabled scientist to assist with the project. As a result of the experience that she gained during the project, she was able to find a full-time job in the private sector after the project ended.
