Congratulations to Dr. Mary Kate Donais, Associate Professor of the Chemistry Department at Saint Anselm College, Manchester, NH, on receiving an Innov-X Systems Academic & Research Relations Grant Award. Dr. Donais' research project, XRF Measurements in Archaeological Samples: Interdisciplinary Research with Undergraduates, is being carried out at the Castel Viscardo Excavation near Orvieto, Italy. This project includes students and faculty from Saint Anselm College, University of Oklahoma and Universita della Macerata. Dr. Donais is working in conjunction with Dr. David George, Dr. Claudio Bizzarri, Dr. Silvia Simonetti and Bradley Duncan. According to Dr. Donais, her research team will be performing metals analysis on 1. "non-diagnostic coins that have been significantly corroded and thus cannot be identified visually" and 2. "sections of lead pipe and a water supply and drainage system discovered at the site last summer." They "are attempting to determine if the pipe was connected to the drainage system at some point in time through analyses of deposit material in the drainage system and the pipe itself."
Portable XRF provides fast and simple in-situ elemental analysis of Mg through U, from PPM to high percentage levels. In a matter of seconds, it allows simultaneous measurements of up to 25 elements. The Innov-X Academic Relations Program encourages and supports research into applications where in-situ XRF measurements expand or enhance a knowledge base. It puts the power of portable XRF in researchers' hands allowing them to take it to the field, where it really counts. Innov-X Academic Research Grants include the loan of an analyzer, technical training and/or consultation, and sponsorship at a technical conference to present the research findings.
