Lab Notes

Matt Heizler and Julia Ricci adjust the position of a new tungsten filament for one of the mass spectrometers in the New Mexico Geochronology Laboratory.

At the forefront of cutting-edge research at New Mexico Tech, we have been utilizing Raman spectroscopy to unravel the mysteries locked within minerals. By harnessing the power of visible and ultraviolet lasers, we can unlock a plethora of information. So, you may be asking, what is Raman spectroscopy? In simple terms, it's a technique that uses laser light to interact with the atomic vibrations of a material, producing a unique "fingerprint" of its molecular composition. By analyzing the scattered light, we are able to identify and characterize minerals such as apatite, fluorite, and calcite.

Dr. Alex Gysi has been attracting PhD students and post-doctoral fellows to NMT in order to form an Ore Deposits and Critical Minerals Research Group. The group will utilize the newly established Ore Deposits & Critical Minerals Research Laboratory at the New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources to conduct research in experimental and computational hydrothermal geochemisty. Several more positions are yet to be filled.

Much of this research is focused on critical minerals, which are essential to our modern economy.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has funded the aquisition of a new Horiba Labram HR Evolution confocal Raman microscope for the Bureau as part of their Major Research Instrumentation Program. The instrument will be equipped with a 532 nm laser and a 266 nm UV laser and be compatible with a variety of experimental stages including a Linkam fluid inclusion heating/cooling stage and a hydrothermal diamond anvil cell.

We are seeking PhD candiates who have experience with Raman spectroscopy.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $120,000 grant to Bonnie Frey for the purchase of an Agilent 5900 Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES). This new instrument replaces replaces an older instrument in the Bureau's Analytical Chemistry Laboratory. The new intrument will significantly expand the capablities of the laboratory, particularly for metal analysis. Co-PIs on the grant are New Mexico Tech professors Dr. Benjamin Duval in Biology, Dr. Gayan Rubasinghege in Chemistry, and Drs. Nicole Hurtig and Michael Schaefer in Earth & Environmental Science. Many other students and faculty at NMT will benefit from the new analytical capabilities of the laboratory.