LaSVIStA

The Laboratory For Small Volume and In situ Analyses

The Laboratory For Small Volume and In situ Analyses (LaSVIStA) consists of x-ray diffractometer, capillary electrophoresis, FT-IR spectrometer and an autoanalyzer. It is unique because of its capability to probe the biogeochemical processes occurring in microenvironments (micrometer area and milligrams sample). It is fully operational and supports the research activities of faculty, researchers and students in soil science, limnology, geomorphology, forest and wildlife ecology, material science, waste management and environmental health. The infrastructure allows faculty members to spearhead collaborative studies in rock and mineral weathering with researchers in Germany, Sweden, South Africa, France and China. The infrastructure is also available to researchers in provincial and federal agencies, forest, mineral, oil and gas sectors and consulting companies. Some of the projects supported by the infrastructure ranges include (1) formation of calcium oxalate on fungal hyphae, (2) flocculation of sediments in river systems, (2) nature of pigments in South African cave paintings, (3) geomorphological evolution of landscapes in Antarctica, (4) paleosols in Canada, (5) materials in pottery and ceramics in Turkey and Cyprus and (6) remediation of Pb-, Cr- and other metal-contaminated soils. We use LaSVIStA to entice science fair winners to choose future careers in science and engineering