MRI: Acquisition of an Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer for using stable isotopes to study complex ecological systems

MRI：购买同位素比质谱仪，使用稳定同位素研究复杂的生态系统

• 批准号: 2018315
• 负责人: Andrew Burton
• 金额: $ 32.71万
• 依托单位: Michigan Technological University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-08-01 至 2022-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2018315&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; Acquisition; Isotope; Ratio; Mass

An award is made to Michigan Technological University to obtain an isotope ratio mass spectrometer for the analysis of stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur and hydrogen in environmental samples. Faculty and staff will use the instrument to trace these elements in studies of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem processes. It is important for science students to have hands-on experience with essential analytical tools, and through this purchase, students in a wide variety of fields at Michigan Tech will be able to incorporate the use of isotopes into their own research. The team at Michigan Tech will fully integrate isotopic research into classroom education in upper-level ecosystem science courses to prepare future scientists who are fully capable of using advanced techniques to investigate environmental issues and their potential solutions. The state-of-the-science instrument also will aid in attracting the best possible graduate students and candidates for faculty positions in ecology and environmental science, both of which are areas of study known to attract diverse populations into STEM careers.The new instrument will triple the types of elemental isotopic analyses that can be provided to Michigan Tech students and researchers and their colleagues, fostering collaborations among ecosystem scientists, biologists, hydrologists, chemists and geologists. Researchers will use isotopic analyses for diverse purposes including: assessing origins of migratory species such as birds, bats and butterflies; separating recent versus older sources of greenhouse gas fluxes from wetlands to identify possible feedbacks to the climate system; understanding the contributions of stormflow and groundwater to streamflow to help predict the potential for future flooding as storm intensities increase; separating contributions of aquatic and terrestrial vegetation to the diets of wild species; and assessing impacts of recent and past droughts on forest productivity through analysis of tree rings and foliage and determining the soil depths from which different plant species can access water. Results from these studies and other research performed with the instrument will be widely disseminated in peer-reviewed publications and at scientific meetings.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

密歇根理工大学获得了同位素比质谱仪的奖励，用于分析环境样品中碳、氮、氧、硫和氢的稳定同位素。教职员工将使用该仪器在水生和陆地生态系统过程的研究中追踪这些元素。对于理科学生来说，拥有基本分析工具的实践经验非常重要，通过此次购买，密歇根理工大学各个领域的学生将能够将同位素的使用纳入自己的研究中。密歇根理工大学的团队将把同位素研究完全融入到高级生态系统科学课程的课堂教育中，为未来的科学家做好准备，使他们完全有能力使用先进技术来研究环境问题及其潜在解决方案。该最先进的科学仪器还将有助于吸引最优秀的研究生和生态学和环境科学教师职位的候选人，这两个领域都是众所周知的吸引不同人群进入 STEM 职业的研究领域。新仪器将可以向密歇根理工大学的学生、研究人员及其同事提供的元素同位素分析类型增加了三倍，促进了生态系统科学家、生物学家、水文学家、化学家和地质学家之间的合作。研究人员将利用同位素分析实现多种目的，包括：评估鸟类、蝙蝠和蝴蝶等迁徙物种的起源；将湿地中近期和较早的温室气体通量来源分开，以确定对气候系统可能的反馈；了解风暴流和地下水对水流的贡献，以帮助预测未来随着风暴强度增加而发生洪水的可能性；区分水生和陆地植被对野生物种饮食的贡献；通过分析树木年轮和树叶并确定不同植物物种可以获取水的土壤深度，评估最近和过去的干旱对森林生产力的影响。这些研究和使用该仪器进行的其他研究的结果将在同行评审的出版物和科学会议上广泛传播。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。