Workshop: New Capability Considerations
The Development of New User Research Capabilities in Environmental Molecular Science
- August 1-2, 2006
- W.R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory
- Richland, WA
As in the initial conceptual design for EMSL, special attention will be given to major instrumentation investments deemed most appropriate to a National Scientific User Facility. The general principle is that EMSL will provide to the user community unique instrumentation, instruments too costly for most principal investigators to create, acquire, maintain and operate, and suites of instruments required to address complex problems. Sophisticated instrumentation and related experimental techniques requiring expert assistance to execute are additional factors that justify a national user facility focused on molecular science of complex systems. General categories for investment relevant to EMSL themes include, but are not limited to, the following:
Techniques and methods for material and sample preparation
One of the key limiting factors in several of the science themes is the ability to prepared well characterized materials with targeted molecular level properties. In this regard, in addition to preparation of relatively homogeneous materials with specific properties, we have an increasing need for well defined but complex materials systems. The need to prepare materials of increasing heterogeneity is particularly true in the Science of Interfacial Phenomena and Geochemistry/Biogeochemistry and Subsurface Science themes. Examples of investments that might be considered include: enhanced capabilities to prepare well defined heterogeneous materials by epitaxial growth, ballistic deposition, or chemical vapor deposition; preparation of artificial microbial membranes for mechanistic studies in biogeochemistry, and a crystal growth facility with emphasis on heterogeneous materials.
Enhanced Methods for Probing Interfacial Reactivity
Interfacial reactivity dominates virtually all aspects of environmental molecular science from reactions at the solid/solution interface in subsurface or catalytic systems to solid/gas or liquid/gas interfaces in aerosol chemistry. To meet this challenge EMSL has always been a strong interfacial science facility. The challenge now is to extend these capabilities to more complex interfaces and under more "realistic" environmental conditions. Examples of investments that might be considered include capabilities for characterizing volatile and semi-volatile organic species on aerosol surfaces, development of advanced instrumentation to examine microbial interfacial reactions, and a new operando TEM optimized for chemical information and including an environmental cell.
Enhanced Capabilities for Studying Complex Dynamical Systems
There is an increasing trend in all areas of environmental molecular science to focus on what is often termed "systems science," i.e., studies designed to relate the macroscopic response of the environmental system to specific molecular level processes. This area has received special attention in the Biological Interactions and Interfaces theme, but it is no less applicable in the other themes as well. Examples of new capabilities that are required include extension of proteomic and magnetic resonance measurements to examine post-translational modifications of protein structure and function as well as communities or systems of microbes, and capabilities to examine in more detail the complexity of natural or other multi-phase, multi-component materials, including materials containing radioisotopes.
Methods for Enhanced Sample Throughput
There can be no question that increased efficiency in sample handling and analysis is critical to successful environmental molecular science research, especially when the numbers of possible variables that must be understood are considered. This capability development area is relevant to all four science themes. Examples include: the necessity of examining large numbers of protein, protein-protein or other analyses required to unravel microbial structure and function; the large range of surface properties, reactant properties, temperature, and pressure required to unravel the behavior of catalytic or biogeochemical systems; the use of combinatorial material preparation and analysis for many applications including sensor development and catalysis; and the wide range of chemical and reactant properties of organic aerosols.
Cyber-Enabled Chemistry
As implied above, advances in cyber-infrastructure that will likely connect all major research centers in the next decade will change how science is conducted, especially at national user facilities. Grid computing, community data-bases, remote access to instrumentation, and electronic support for widely dispersed collaborations will become the norm as these capabilities develop. The central concept is that access to expert knowledge and highly sophisticated instrumentation will permit individuals to collaborate with anyone, anywhere and anytime. Therefore, identifying instrumentation capabilities that can be operated remotely is also of interest in defining future EMSL investments.
