This award provides one-half of the funds required to purchase equipment parts for upgrading a used electron microprobe system. The upgraded instrument will be operated in the Department of Geology at the Indiana-Purdue University at Indianapolis. The University will provide the remaining 50% match for the upgrade. The upgrade consists of replacing the high vacuum system, rebuilding one of the x-ray wave length dispersive spectrometers, and rebuilding the sample stage. The improved instrument is to be employed in microanalytical studies of fossil shells.
