Environmental Analysis Research Lab

Are you looking to get started using the EARL facility for your research?  Begin your research here!

1. First step is to determine which instrumentation best suits your research needs.  You can find information on our equipment in the "Instrumentation" tab.  If you need any help, please contact the EARL staff.
2. The second step is to complete the EARL - User Form.  There are three tiers of fees depending on if you are a commercial entity, a non-profit/academic institution, and/or faculty, staff, student, or affiliate of the University of Washington.  When you have completed filling out the form, please be sure to hit the SUBMIT button at the bottom.
3. You will be running the analysis yourself. Therefore, we will contact you to schedule any one-on-one training that is needed prior to using the instruments.
4. After training, you will be able to book instruments and run analyses.

Returning Users

1. If you have already been trained and have already used the intrumentation needed for your analyses, please request instrument time using the EARL - User Form.

For Organics Analyses

The instruments below are capable of detecting and quantifying various volatile and non-volatile organic compounds extracted from various environmental matrices including water, sediment, biological tissues or air sampling sorbents.

High-Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC)

Model: Agilent _________

Detectors Available: UV-VIS, Fluorescence, Refractive Index

Columns: various normal phase and reverse phase columns available for use

Gas Chromatograph (GC)

Model: Agilent ________

Detectors Available: Electron Capture (ECD), Flame Ionization Detector (FID)

Columns:  various

Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (GCMS) (limited availability)

Model: Agilent ________

Source: Electron Ionization (EI) and Chemical Ionization (Methane) (CI)

For Metals Analyses:

We have the capabilities of extracting and quantifying various metals from environmental samples at a wide range of concentrations using the following instrumentation:

Microwave Digestion

Used to extract metals from sediment samples

Model: Mars 5

Atomic Absorption Spectrometer

Model: Shimadzu ___________

Atomizers: Flame and Electrothermal

Induced Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer (ICPMS)

Model: Agilent 7900

For Nutrient Analyses:

We have the capabilities of performing nutrient analyses in drinking water, wastewater, soil and sediment including: Nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, chlorides, sulfates, total phosphorus, phosphates, and others.

Nutrient Analizer

Model: SmartChem

Compound Characterization

These spectrometers are commonly used to aid in compound characterization:

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR)

Model: Perkin Elmer

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Model: ________

Ultra Violet-Visible Spectrometer (UV-Vis)

Model: ________

Particle Size Analyzer

This instrument is able to determine the distribution of sizes in a sample of solid or liquid particulate material, this system has primarily been used for sediment and soil samples.

Model: ________

Poster Printing

Plotter Printer 

Can print research size (34 x 42 in) or classroom size (29 x 34 in)

Rates are determined annualy and are based on the total operating costs of EARL (salaries, supplies, and maintenance).  All rates are reviewed and approved by the University of Washington administration and are subject to change. 

Users without Univresity of Washington affiliations, will be assessed an additional 15.6% inderect charge as direcated by the University's administration. 

All new users to EARL are required to undergo a minimum 1 hour training per instrument (see table below for details).  Training is provided at a charge rate of $60/hr.

Rates (as of 9/21/2018)

*Rates B and C are calculated based on Rates D and E plus 15.6% inderect charge, respectively.

**Rate A includes Direct Center Support Surcharges and University of Washington's 15.6% indirect charge.

Rate A: Commercial entities including for profit and non-academic.

Rate B: Non-profits and academic institutions.  New user to instrument being requested and/or addiditional training needed.

Rate C: Non-profits and academic institutions. Previously trained on instrument requesting and no additional training needed.

Rate D: Faculty, staff, and/or student of the University of Washington (including Seattle and Bothell campuses).  Also includes staff, faculty, or students affiliated with the university of Washington but not directly employed by the University of Washington.  New user to instrument being requested and/or addiditional training needed.

Rate E: Faculty, staff, and/or student of the University of Washington (including Seattle and Bothell campuses).  Also includes staff, faculty, or students affiliated with the university of Washington but not directly employed by the University of Washington. Previously trained on instrument requesting and no additional training needed.

No Show/Late Policy:

• Users arriving over 1 hour after the start of their booking will be charged for the missed time
• If a booking is missed without 24 hour notice, the user will be billed for the full amount of time booked
• If < 24 hours notice is given, user will be billed for half the time booked

If you are a new user to the UW Tacoma instrument you will be using for your research, you will first need to be trained by the EARL staff.  Minimum training time depends on the specific instrument, prior experience, and project needs.

To begin your booking, please fill out the online Earl - User Form.  Once you have completed the form, an EARL staff member will contact you within two business days via the contact information you provided on the User Form.

Contact Information

School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences

Division of Sciences and Mathematics

Science Building (SCI)

1745 Commerce Street

Tacoma, WA 98402

Hours: M - F, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Email: samearl@uw.edu