Funding is requested for purchase of an X-ray fluorescence analyzer (XRF), the Kevex EDX-771, to enhance our capabilities in quantification of environmental data in undergraduate courses and undergraduate research in the fields of Environmental Sciences, Geological Sciences, Biology, and Chemistry. The recent establishment of an Environmental Sciences concentration (major) at Brown builds on the expertise of faculty in these natural sciences and the established policy-oriented Center for Environmental Studies. Joint use of the XRF would encourage development of interdepartmental ties while strengthening the new Environmental Science program.New environmental courses are being offered and existing courses are evolving to a stronger field-analytical orientation. Access to the XRF would give students in these courses the opportunity to perform chemical analyses in lab exercises simulating natural processes, to analyze natural materials, and to determine how limitations of the instrument constrain our ability to solve certain problems. A senior thesis is required of all Environmental Science and GeoScience majors and most science concentrators choose at least one semester of independent research. Many of these research projects will make excellent use of an XRF analytical facility.
