The Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Wisconsin - Madison will purchase an exceptionally versatile scanning electron microscope (SEM), equipped with a range of detectors to be used in a variety of research and educational activities within the department and affiliated Geology Museum. The instrument will have the ability to produce high contrast cathodoluminescence and high resolution back-scattered electron images of variations in chemistry of materials such as zircons, inclusions in diamonds, and Mars meteorites, which are very rare; three-dimensional secondary electron images of features such as fossils, which will be aided by low vacuum; electron back-scattered detector (EBSD) analysis of the 3D orientation of solid phases; and qualitative chemical analyses using energy dispersive spectroscopy. The SEM lab will provide teaching and training for graduate and advanced undergraduate students, who require long-term experience to develop the abilities needed for professional use. This training will include both formal class work and research activities. This equipment will be utilized in an existing, NSF-funded education and outreach program by our Geology Museum, targeted toward high-school students and teachers. In our experience, students of all ages respond very positively to the intriguing images that can be obtained with this state-of-the-art equipment; this type of response is often critical to maintaining the interest of younger students, including women and underrepresented minorities, in science. Ongoing research that will benefit from this facility addresses many areas of interest to the public, including water quality and resources, the geologic record of earthquakes, approaches to removing carbon from the atmosphere (carbon sequestration), the geologic record of climate change, volcanic hazards, and materials applications of mineralogy. The acquisition of this equipment will allow the development of innovative applications of relatively new technology, such as EBSD. Many applications of EBSD have direct applicability and utility to different elements of the EarthScope initiative, NSF's multifaceted study of the geologic evolution and active tectonics of the United States. In addition, these state-of-the-art imaging capabilities will be critical for sample selection and for guiding in situ stable isotope analysis by WISC-SIMS, the Wisconsin Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer Facility, which installed a new CAMECA ims-1280 Ion Microprobe in March 2005. This lab will explore new applications of stable isotope chemistry - a record of fluid-material interactions - in Earth, Materials, and Biological Sciences. We expect it to revolutionize our understanding of these processes.
