REMOTE EPMA OPERATION TO ENGAGE IN-CLASS RESEARCH IN UPPER DIVISION MINERALOGY AND PETROLOGY COURSES: A NSF-TUES FUNDED OPPORTUNITY TO INCREASE STUDENT LEARNING

The value of using analytical instrumentation as part of an undergraduate class has long been recognized. However, this can be limited to only the institutions that have access to research equipment. The Florida Center for Analytical Electron Microscopy (FCAEM; https://fcaem.fiu.edu/) allows for remote access of a JEOL 8900R electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA) through the internet. We have obtained NSF-TUES funding to engage undergraduate students in research during class meetings that utilize the EPMA at FCAEM. During the Fall 2013 semester students at three State University System of Florida Public Universities utilized the remote use of the EPAM as part of their upper division mineralogy and petrology classes. The goal of this project is to enable the use of research equipment at other institutions through remote operation of the FCAEM equipment. The initial experience of running this program at one of these Florida Public Universities will be expanded below.

21 students in a mineralogy & petrology class investigated the composition of plagioclase feldspar via remote use of the FCAEM EPMA. The students were divided into three groups and each assigned an igneous rock sample (tonalite, quartz diorite, or dacite from a Jurassic igneous complex). Using polarizing light microscopes the students identified three plagioclase feldspars in each sample including one each that displayed zoning. In a different lab meeting the students remotely operated the EPMA at FCAEM in the classroom under my guidance. The feldspars from each sample were analyzed including the cores and rims of the zoned feldspars. The students then calculated the feldspar mineral formulas and An, Ab, and Or % for the data in a third class meeting [student generated e.g., (Ca_0.729Na_0.227Sr_0.006K_0.001)(Si_2.344Al_1.638Fe_0.003)O₈]. The students were asked to synthesis the feldspar data as a take-home assignment were they explored the coupled ionic substitution found in plagioclase and how feldspar composition related to the overall composition of the sample. Assessment of the students’ learning gains as a result of this research experience are being measured by a developing pre- and post-test that utilizes creative exercises (Lewis et al., 2010; J Coll. Sci. Teach.).