IEEE Madison Section - Meeting Schedule
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Chemistry in the Extreme: Deep Sea Investigation of Hydrothermal Vents and Surrounding Biological Communities

Thursday, June 18, 2009, 11:45 AM - 1:00 PM
(NOTE: June meeting!)

Speaker:	Dr. Donald Nuzzio, President, Analytical Instrument Systems, Inc.
Location:	Rocky Rococo's Pizza 7952 Tree Lane (Madison Beltline Hwy. at Mineral Pt. Rd.), 608.829.1444
Menu:	Pizza buffet, salad and soft drinks
Lunch Price:	$5.00 members, $10.00 non-members (free for UW-Madison Student Branch members)
RSVP:	by June 15th to David Marca via email or call 617.645.1358

Non-member guests are always welcome!

Due to the water sampling errors that occur at depth, ~2500 meters, a simpler real time solution to understand the chemistry at the bottom of the Ocean was required.

In order to understand why certain species of animals near hydrothermal vents lived in certain proximity to the vents has been a puzzle that scientists have been trying to understand for years. Here at Analytical Instrument Systems, Inc. we have developed an instrument which allows the researcher to look at the chemistry of the water at hydrothermal vents and diffuse flows in real time. Using our instruments aboard Alvin and Jason DSV (Deep Submergence Vehicles) researchers can probe various areas of the ocean floor to understand the chemistry in and around hydrothermal vent area. We have investigated areas on the ocean floor which are on the tectonic plate boundaries. These are the most volcanically active areas on the surface of the planet. In and around these areas life has evolved like nowhere on earth. Bacteria evolved to eat the hydrogen sulfide chemicals which come from hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor. These vents are like the geysers at Yellowstone but they never stop producing hydrothermal fluids which are the food for this unique bacteria that live there. All types of animal species have evolved at these depths and to understand how these animals live and survive here is the question that we are trying to answer.

The AIS ISEA III is the latest in underwater electrochemical instruments designed to produce real time chemical data of hydrothermal fluids and diffuse flow areas. The talk which will be presented will show how we developed this new electrochemical instrument and sensor to investigate one of the last frontiers on earth.

Dr. Nuzzio is president of Analytical Instrument Systems, Inc. (AIS), located in Flemington, New Jersey. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Delaware College of Marine Studies. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey, a Master of Science degree in chemistry and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in analytical chemistry from Rutgers University. His major focus is to develop high-quality, compact, field-portable analytical instrumentation for use in environmental and oceanographic research. What got him into this business was observing the need for analytical instruments to be used at the source, thus allowing for more accurate and precise scientific measurements to be performed.