MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — Professors Will Amidon, Ray Coish, and Pete Ryan (all geology) have received support from the National Science Foundation for the purchase of a laser to accompany the department’s existing inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) instrument. This new instrumentation will give Middlebury College the ability to analyze isotope ratios and trace element concentrations of virtually all mineral phases, not just dissolved solutions, using laser ablation. The new instrument will enable projects aimed at better understanding the tectonic evolution of the eastern U.S. and quantifying the sources of radionuclides in shallow aquifers.