MRI: Acquisition of a Broad-Energy Germanium Detector at Western Washington University

MRI：在西华盛顿大学购买宽能锗探测器

• 批准号: 2117982
• 负责人: John Rybczyk
• 金额: $ 12.49万
• 依托单位: Western Washington University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-09-01 至 2023-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2117982&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; Acquisition; Broad; Energy; Germanium

This award is made to Western Washington University (WWU) to purchase a broad-energy germanium gamma ray detector to expand research and education programs in environmental science and geology. The earth possesses many naturally occurring radioactive elements that emit gamma radiation. By measuring the quantity and distribution of these elements, researchers can estimate the rates of important processes, such as the burial of sediment and organic carbon, removal of contaminants from seawater, and the mixing and transport of important particulate materials including carbon, metals, and organic contaminants. The instrument will allow students and faculty at WWU to quantify sedimentary processes, characterize past environments, and to assess changes in land use, pollution, and other natural conditions over time. The research community’s interest in the use of our existing gamma detector and our associated expertise has now exceeded our ability to accommodate the demand. The expanded capabilities of this instrument will enable WWU students and faculty to address new environmental problems, take on additional research projects, improve the design of existing projects, and expand our network of collaborators at the global scale. The new broad-energy germanium detector (Mirion BE3825) will support the research and teaching programs of eight senior personnel and their associated students at WWU. These users all have research questions that can be addressed using gamma-emitting radionuclides, with applications ranging from bioturbation and sediment accumulation to tribal coastal clam gardens and estuarine carbon burial, to lake paleo-genetics and riparian geomorphological development. While our existing detector is in continuous use measuring low-energy gamma emitters such as Pb-210 and Th-234, the new broad-energy germanium detector will also enable the measurement of higher-energy gamma emitters such as Cs-137, Be-7, Zn-65, and Fe-59, allowing for a much greater number of users, more educational opportunities, and a greater diversity of instrument applications. As a non-PhD granting institution, WWU places a strong emphasis on undergraduate and Masters-level research and education. The new instrument at WWU will be made available not only for faculty-driven research but also for student-led thesis research and class projects to train the next generation of scientists.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.

该奖项授予西华盛顿大学 (WWU) 购买宽能锗伽马射线探测器，以扩大环境科学和地质学方面的研究和教育项目。通过这些元素的分布和分布，研究人员可以估计重要过程的速率，例如沉积物和有机碳的埋藏、海水中污染物的去除以及包括碳、金属和有机物在内的重要颗粒材料的混合和运输。该仪器将使 WWU 的学生和教师能够量化沉积过程，描述过去的环境，并评估土地利用、污染和其他自然条件随时间的变化。我们的相关专业知识现已超出了我们满足需求的能力，该工具的扩展功能将使 WWU 的学生和教师能够解决新的环境问题，承担更多的研究项目，改进现有项目的设计，并扩大我们的合作者网络。在全球范围内。宽能锗探测器 (Mirion BE3825) 将支持 WWU 八名高级人员及其相关学生的研究和教学项目，这些用户都有可以使用伽马发射放射性核素解决的研究问题，其应用范围包括生物扰动和沉积物。部落沿海蛤蜊花园和河口碳埋藏的积累，湖泊古遗传学和河岸地貌发育，而我们现有的探测器正在持续使用测量低能伽马发射器，例如新型宽能锗探测器 Pb-210 和 Th-234 还将能够测量更高能量的伽马发射体，例如 Cs-137、Be-7、Zn-65 和 Fe-59，从而实现更大的测量范围。作为一个非博士学位授予机构，WWU 非常重视本科和硕士水平的研究和教育。不仅适用于教师主导的研究，也适用于学生主导的论文研究和课堂项目，以培养下一代科学家。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进行评估，被认为值得支持审查标准。