This award will provide 77% of the cost of acquiring an X- ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF) system to be installed and operated in the Department of Geosciences at Franklin and Marshall College. F&M College is committed to providing the remaining funds needed for the acquisition. Faculty and undergraduate students at F&M engage in active research projects in the area of igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary, and coal petrology, as well as geochemistry. The multi-element chemical analysis of geologic samples provided by this equipment will allow several research projects to proceed with modern instrumentation. Instruction and use of the XRF spectrometer will also be incorporated in several laboratory undergraduate courses.
