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Levels of Instruction Summer science camp -- high school juniors

Introductory Geology courses -- mostly collegefreshmen and sophomores

Upper level Geochemistry courses -- collegejuniors, seniors, and M.S. students

Individual research projects -- many levels

Examples of Projects/Assignments Taste testing and comparing chemistry of bottled drinking

waters in summer science camp

Environmental Geochemistry class project studying chemistryof local stream waters

Introductory Environmental Geology assignment on householddrinking water in Washington state

Individual student research on the effects of different land usepractices on surface and ground water chemistry

Successes Students were curious to find out what is in the waters they drink

Students enjoyed going in the field to sample water and make fieldmeasurements of alkalinity, pH, temperature, and conductivity

Students were excited to use modern instrumentation and obtainoriginal data

Students gained proficiency in using Excel to manage data andmake graphs

Framework is effective for formulating and testing hypotheses

Trace element geochemistry is distinct for different types ofdrinking water

Trace elements for local streams reflect bedrock geology

Challenges Large data spreadsheets can be overwhelming to students

For class projects, students need to get data within the first fewweeks of a 10-week term so that they have enough time to processand interpret data

Students need a lot of guidance in generating graphs (decidingdata to plot and the type of graph to make)

There is a wide range in students proficiency with spreadsheetprograms

Trace element data can be difficult to interpret

It is hard to find time for instrument maintenance and trouble-shooting

The instrument: a ThermoElemental Plasma XP ICP-MS*

Water is More than Just H2O: Using Data from an Inductively CoupledPlasma Mass Spectrometer to Teach about Water Chemistry

Carey A. Gazis, Steve Lundblad and Wendy Bohrson

Department of Geological Sciences, Central Washington University

IntroductionAn inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS)provides a rapid means of determining concentrations of

multiple trace elements in waters. We are using data acquired

with an ICP-MS* to teach students about water chemistry at a

variety of levels, ranging from high school students to upper

level college students. At a given level, the choice of datasets

and expectations for processing and rendering data are adjusted

depending on the background of the students and the time

allocated for the project or assignment. In addition, the extent to

which students are involved in running the ICP-MS varied;

upper-level students were involved in most aspects of

instrument operation while introductory-level students were not

involved in lab work or ICP-MS operation.

ActivitiesFor a given project or assignment, some or all of the following

activities were undertaken : Researching chemical elements and their occurrence

Researching sources of drinking waters

Review of units of measurement

Formulation of hypotheses to be tested

Designing sampling strategy

Clean water sampling techniques

Field determinations of pH, alkalinity, conductivity,temperature

Preparation of standards

ICP-MS analysis

Data reduction, choice of data of interest

Finding trends in data, data interpretation

Reexamination of hypotheses

Presentation of results (posters, papers, etc.)

Sampling streams in the upper Yakima River drainage basin

* The ICP-MS at Central Washington University was purchased with funds from the

National Science Foundation Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Instruction (NSF

CCLI) Program (DUE-9981154) and the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust

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Sample Name Mg Al Cu As Sr Pb U pH cond. alk.

ppb ppb ppb ppb ppb ppb ppb ppm ppm

north branch canal 8 23 4 7.35 1 .6 8 0 .3 3 26 .7 3 1 .9 6 0 .0 1 7 .0 9 4 .00 2 2.04

Yakima river 3 16 1 3 6.45 0 .7 5 0 .6 4 37 .2 0 5 .6 3 0 .0 0 7 .9 8 5 .00 3 4.20

Ellensburg Tap 2709 0 .25 281.80 0 .69 94.55 0 .02 0 .08 6 .98 13.00 82.40

cooke creek 5433 114.90 2 .02 0 .00 66.05 8 .49 0 .04 7 .43 11.00 62.28

wipple waste 6534 249.70 4 .98 0 .82 98.82 11.09 0 .56 7 .67 14.00 69.78

cherry creek/moe 12140 217.40 3 .93 1 .20 136.00 6 .60 0 .84 7 .69 22.00 146.45

cherry creek/wipple waste 7545 298.30 8 .59 1 .11 112.30 4 .98 0 .69 7 .89 16.00 91.80

cascade canal/reecer 3081 163.60 2 .39 0 .39 39.60 5 .40 0 .01 7 .22 6 .00 34.65

cascade canal/thrall 4420 331.90 2 .65 0 .37 68.28 0 .06 0 .26 7 .63 17.00 97.58

forino pond 13790 14.40 3 .50 0 .64 155.40 5 .32 0 .16 8 .96 20.00 146.73

Seawater 1 15 60 00 5 7.48 0 .5 5 6 .1 0 4 27 3.0 nd 1 .4 2

Surface Water

Sample Name Mg Al Cu As Sr Pb U pH cond. alk. Price

ppb ppb ppb ppb ppb ppb ppb ppm ppm $/L

perrier 8888 6 .80 2 .60 0 .52 598.50 1 .84 6 .80 5 .75 69 364.24 2 .39

talking rai n 12350 41.47 0 .25 3 .31 317.10 1 .88 0 .02 8 .34 25 150.83 1 .99

dannon 3 82 1 0 .2 1 0 .0 9 1 .7 9 8 1.45 3 .0 0 0 .0 6 7 .2 1 9 6 0.11 0 .9 0

crystal geyser 3242 6 .72 0 .04 8 .24 348.20 2 .82 11.19 6 .58 19 84.36 1 .09

evian 13140 4 .39 0 .29 0 .93 492.50 nd 1 .96 7 .48 259 365.21 1 .89

Arrowhead 1 49 60 4 .1 1 nd 0 .0 6 1 60 .7 0 nd 3 .4 0 8 .0 8 3 2 1 79 .6 1 1 .1 1

Ellensburg Tap 2709 0 .25 281.80 0 .69 94.55 0 .02 0 .08 6 .98 13 82.4

Safeway refreshe 1 95 4 1 .8 3 0 .3 4 0 .0 0 6 1.73 0 .0 0 0 .01 7 .2 8 1 2 4 4.64 0 .7 9

Safeway Purified 9106 nd nd 0.01 nd nd nd 5.41 0 nd 0.24

Safeway Drinking 8 53 9 0 .20 nd 0 .0 4 20. 38 nd nd 6 .7 4 5 2 0. 15 0 .2 5

Fred Meyer Distilled 9698 nd 0.29 nd nd nd nd 6.03 0 0.02

Dasani 4442 nd nd 0.02 nd 2 .83 nd 5.27 5 nd 1 .49

aquafina 81 nd 0.07 nd 1.31 2.56 nd 6.51 1 1.7 1 .49

Bottled Water

A typical data set (from STEP Summer Science Institute):

* This summer science camp is part of a project funded by the NSF Science Technology,

Engineering, and Mathematics Enhancement Program (STEP, DUE 0230395)

STEP Summer Science Institute* -- In this summer science camp,groups of three high school juniors conducted week-long research projects

studying the chemistry of bottled drinking water and local surface waters.

Students did web research on water chemistry and sources of bottled drinking

water, conducted taste tests on bottled waters, and collected surface waters.

Students assisted in all aspects of sample preparation and ICP-MS analysis.

The instructor assisted students in organizing and graphing data and in

interpreting their results. The week culminated in a poster presentation bystudents.

Introduction to Environmental Geology -- In this General Educationcourse, students studied the chemistry of drinking water from throughout

Washington state. Students first researched the sources of the tap water in

their homes and theirparents homes. As a class, they chose locations around

Washington state for sampling. The instructor analyzed the samples and

prepared some of the data (5 elements) in a table and graphs. These results

were given to the students as part of a homework assignment in which they

were asked specific questions about the data.

Environmental Geochemistry -- In this upper-level course, seniors andM.S. students conducted a term-long class project on the chemistry of stream

waters in the upper Yakima River drainage basin. In this project, students

researched the local geology and the history of land use in the area. They then

formulated questions and hypotheses that might be addressed with trace

element data and designed sampling strategies. Students took the lead in

every aspect of sampling, ICP-MS standardization and analysis, and data

reduction. This included examining the data quality based on calibration

curves, reproducibility, and quality assurance standards. They then selected

data to address their questions/hypotheses and prepared tables and graphs.

Finally students wrote individual reports presenting their objectives,

methodology, results, interpretations, and suggestions for future work.

SOME DETAILS AND PHOTOS:

Sampling an irrigation canal

Sampling a local stream

Taste testing store-bought bottled water

Performing an alkalinity titration

Measuring pH of river water

Preparing ICP-MS standards

Entering samples information into

ICP-MS program

Acid-washing bottles and syringes

The interior of a quadropole ICP-MS