Sometimes science only requires your brain. Other times, it requires fancy equipment.

We just got new fancy equipment. Meet the Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS).

Possibly the coolest thing about the ICP-MS is that it’s not for just one department.

Dr. Cyren Rico, assistant professor of chemistry, was the principal investigator on the National Science Foundation — Major Research implementation grant proposal.

The co-principal investigators were:

• Dr. Richard Biagioni, professor of chemistry
• Dr. Gary Michelfelder, assistant professor of geology
• Dr. Melissa Remley, assistant professor of agriculture
• Dr. Robert Pavlowsky, distinguished professor of geography

“We are thrilled to have the new ICP-MS because our students will get trained on state-of-art instrumentation and boost their competitiveness in the job market,” Rico said.

About the instrument

The ICP-MS has a big job bolstering our research capability. We can now measure several metals at the same time at relevant environmental — usually very low — concentrations.  It is a significant addition to the current instrumentations at MSU.

Since this machine has been a collaboration from the start, it will continue to be. Ozarks Technical Community College, Evangel University and others will be able to use it.

More than 400 students will have the opportunity to use this machine yearly. In addition, the professors hope it encourages interdisciplinary research.

“Our researchers can now do analysis at MSU,” Rico said. “We do not have to rely on outside analytical labs, which is often a long wait and less cost-effective.”

No other academic institution in southwest Missouri has an ICP-MS.

“I am excited to see several publications coming out from using this instrument,” Rico said.