Laboratory for Environmental Geoscience - L.E.G.
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Concept: An integral facility that complements departmental goals in environmental geosciences. The ISU Department of Geosciences, Laboratory for Environmental Geoscience (L.E.G.), comprises a major addition to the department and represents an extension of current endeavors in research, as well as public service and continuing education.
The Geosciences-L.E.G. is capable of performing comprehensive studies of most geologic and inorganic geochemical aspects in a wide range of environmental systems. Participation by all faculty in the ISU Department of Geosciences, as well as collaborative efforts by other ISU faculty and non-university researchers, is expected and encouraged. For example, a significant proportion of ongoing departmental efforts are in conjunction with INL (Idaho National Laboratory), including several current masters thesis projects.
Purpose: Geosciences-L.E.G. conducts research on natural and human-induced environmental hazards including, but not limited to, groundwater quality, industrial pollutants, and natural disaster potentials. Initial emphasis is on a field-based approach to geochemical problems (e.g., pollutants) relating to solute transfer within geologically complex fractured terrains. Access to laboratory instrumentation provides researchers with the means to obtain chemical data, including pollutants, tracers, and natural constituents, on virtually any type of geologic material. Although basic and applied research is LEG's principle purpose, a limited amount of service-related research work can be incorporated.
We emphasize a field-based orientation for Geosciences-LEG because (1) environmental problems must first be approached through site evaluation, (2) it best utilizes existing departmental expertise and facilities, (3) it is widely neglected in other environmental laboratories, and (4) it allows us to attack the widest range of applied and basic research problems. Departmental expertise in geologic mapping and surficial and petrological analysis is essential to cultivate collaborative efforts promoted through topics in, for example, geohydrology and geochemistry. Moreover, human development in areas prone to natural geologic hazards such as earthquakes, floods, landslides and volcanism, requires greater emphasis on field evaluations.
Facilities and support structure required for geosciences-LEG will ultimately include four principal components: [1] analytical instrumentation; [2] field, sampling, and sample preparation equipment; [3] technical support staff; and [4] faculty release time. Specific acquisitions include ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry) for multiple elemental analysis, MS (mass spect.) for stable isotopes and XRD/XRF (X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy) for bulk chemical and crystallographic characterizations. Acquisition, operation and maintenance of such instrumentation is relatively expensive for a small
department albeit useful to a wide range of university researchers. To facilitate maintenance of the equipment and to enhance cooperative,
interdisciplinary research, we plan to make Geology-LEG accessible to users outside the Department of Geology.
Individual contracts and grants will provide extended funding for analytical operations, equipment maintenance, and equipment replacement.
Geosciences LEG Participants: All Geoscience faculty has been involved in varying degrees during the planning and development of LEG. The Department of Geosciences has permanent and adjunct faculty with complementary research and teaching interests relating to all facets of environmental research. In addition, the department houses a branch office of the Idaho Geological Survey, which is active in hydrogeologic and aqueous geochemical studies. Departmental affiliates are also active in environmental consulting and public service. All Department of Geosciences affiliates have strong publication records and extensive experience in developing competitive research programs.