This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program grant supports an upgrade of the current Cameca SX-100 electron microprobe (EMP) in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). Specific upgrades will include new PC-based stage, column control and data acquisition software (Cameca Peak Site), and a new energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) capable of light element (C to N) analysis. The new control software will allow for sub-micron stage positioning, thereby facilitating analysis of minute inclusions in rare terrestrial and extraterrestrial samples, multiple beam conditions during a single analysis routine, integration of multiple spectrometer counts and enhanced stage automation and mapping routines. The AMNH EMP facility serves research scientists, faculty members and students at multiple institutions across the New York metro region including AMNH, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) of Columbia University, The State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook, and the Graduate Center at the City University of New York (CUNY). The upgrades EMP will allow continued and new research investigations requiring microscale chemical characterization of solid materials. A range of research will be enhanced by these upgrades including studies in volcanology, igneous and experimental petrology, and meteoritics. The AMNH EMP facility also serves an annual summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program that targets underrepresented students. The PIs are involved in outreach programs to city high school students and conduct annual professional development workshops for K-12 teachers in the tri-state (NY, NJ, CT) area. The EMP facility is central to the enhancement of value of its earth and planetary materials collections by providing for spatially resolved quantitative chemical analysis of these international resource materials. ***
