Stable Isotope and Paleoclimate Analysis Laboratory

Lab Director: Prof. Amy Frappier Phone: 518-580-8371

Update: After a very successful 5-year run, the lab is not currently available for stable isotope analysis without sustained funding for the Lab Manager. Prof. Amy Frappier and the former Lab Manager Brian Frappier, Ph.D. are seeking funding that would make it possible to return to operations. The equipment and service contract are here, but I don’t have the time to analyze small sample batches. To inquire about the possibility that we might be able to accommodate large outside projects (1000s of samples), contact Amy Frappier, Geosciences Department Chair at afrappie@skidmore.edu or 518-580-8371.

For more information, click here to visit Skidmore's SPA laboratory website

Location: 170 Dana Science Center, Skidmore College, 815 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 USA

Funding for major instrumentation and lab manager technical support in this lab was provided from 2011-2015 by a three-year, $827,931 grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation. MRI: 1126673: Acquisition of a Light Stable Isotope Mass Spectrometer for High-Resolution Paleoclimatology and Undergraduate Education and Training in the Geosciences.

The Stable-Isotope and Paleoclimate Analysis facility allows measurement of different isotopes of elements like carbon, oxygen and nitrogen. This reveals metabolic changes one meal ago or environmental conditions a million years ago. Rocks, shells, hair, and even breath can yield data about climate, ocean chemistry, and metabolism, thanks to this isotope mass spectrometer.

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