Growing Collaborations and Student Training at the Elemental Analysis Facility at The Field Museum

The Elemental Analysis Facility (EAF) at the Field Museum has provided archaeological service for almost twenty years. This award continues the National Science Foundation (NSF) support of the laboratory to increase access for a wide range of archaeological scholars. The EAF hosts instrumentation for the rapid compositional analysis of ancient materials like ceramics, glass, metals, and pigments, to enhance research on a very wide range of anthropological topics.

Researchers analyze archaeological samples for major, minor, and trace elements in a non-destructive manner to address questions related to multiple archaeological questions and to advance the cause of material conservation of The Field Museum's renowned anthropology collections. The presence of an on-site laboratory at the Field Museum creates the opportunity to study artifacts from the unique collections of the museum that could not be moved easily to outside analytical facilities.

The EAF also supports undergraduate and graduate student research and training. Students are initiated into the analytical process by undertaking their own analyses and are trained in method development, the statistical processing of the data, and interpretation. The intellectual merits of the project include the establishment of extensive new datasets of archaeological and ethnological material from around the world that directly inform hypotheses about ancient trade, exchange and technology.

By providing expertise for the investigation of ancient material, linking leading scholars and graduate students to the museum's extensive collections, and giving them the tools to analyze these one-of-a-kind assemblages, the project significantly enhances understanding of the role of cultural production in the development of complex societies. Results of this research inform future exhibits and education activities of The Field Museum, which provides science education and outreach for hundreds of thousands of school children and millions of visitors annually.

The EAF includes an inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) that can be connected to a laser able to sample objects without visible damage. A new experimental portable laser can sample artifacts of any size outside the lab and can be used for elemental analysis with LA-ICP-MS or for isotope analysis carried out at outside facilities.

This equipment is complemented by two portable XRF instruments for totally non-invasive investigations of artifacts on the premises of the Museum or in the field.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.