"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)." In this proposal submitted to the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program, the PIs request ~$247K to acquire an ICP-MS for water quality and geochemistry research in Minnesota. The studies will focus on Minnesota's aquatic resources and the instrument will support students and researchers from several departments including geology, chemistry and other STEM disciplines. The instrument will support faculty from different departments with the overarching research focus on biogeochemical metal cycling in Minnesota watersheds, elemental transformations impacted by environmental change, mercury contamination and cycling, anthropogenic metals, and soil biogeochemistry. Specific goals for this new instrument will involve interdisciplinary student research opportunities for geology, chemistry, biology and environmental studies students, support two new-hire faculty (geology and chemistry), enhance external research competitiveness, bring state-of-the-art equipment into the teaching environment, and provide a regional resource for ICP-MS analyses. The instrumentation will serve a regional and community need. Within the college, the departments of geology, chemistry, biology and environmental science will all directly benefit from this instrument. The instrument will be incorporated into the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation program currently funded at the institution. This will focus on providing research and learning opportunities to underrepresented students. Partnerships with state and federal agencies interested in water quality will ensure regional usage for this instrument. The instrument will be housed in the Environmental Chemistry Lab - the PI's primary laboratory space. The PI will retain ultimate responsibility for care and maintenance of the instrument. The PI has determined that due to potential contamination issues, proposed analyses will be performed sequentially with an analysis calendar ready for scheduling. Gustavus college has committed to cover the operating costs (~$10,000 per year including argon gas) for 5 years after the end of the grant. After that period, a series of on-going grants and external users (at ~$250 per day) will support the yearly expenses. The instrument will provide a regional resource not currently available and will interface students with local, state and federal regulatory agencies, providing both training and contacts for potential employment opportunities. Broader impacts were seen as high due to collaborations and the PIs' broad multi-disciplinary research portfolio and full student involvement in all aspects of education and research.
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