This project is using a portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) instrument to provide authentic research activities into lower and upper division courses in archeology, biology, earth sciences and chemistry. Combining PXRF techniques with inquiry-based laboratory activities encourages students to solve real-world problems and engage them in multidisciplinary research. Students in the archaeology courses are geosourcing obsidian artifacts from local and community collections; students in biology are designing and implementing studies to test for magnesium chloride level in conifer forests adjacent to highways; earth science students are evaluating the impact of anthropogenic activities on Ponderosa pine trees; and chemistry students are conducting community-based research in portions of north Denver where soils still remain contaminated by an old smelter. In addition, the project also is establishing a community of learners composed of the students and faculty members from four disciplines. The specific goals of this interdisciplinary project include 1) enhancing the classroom learning environment of undergraduate students by involving them in authentic research, and 2) engaging faculty members in integrating authentic PXRF research projects into their undergraduate courses. Activities that support these goals and a set of clear, measurable outcomes are being used to assess the impact of this project on student learning.
