The Pyroprobe—How It Works and What It Can Do

Summons lab postdoc Kristen Miller recently gave a presentation to the lab group about the capabilities and operating procedures of the CDS 5250T Pyroprobe, an instrument that allows (amongst other things) whole-rock samples and entire microfossils to be analyzed by GCMS. We have posted a summary of her presentation to the Facilities section of our website here.
Where Are They Now?

Wonder where they went after they left MIT? Here are the current placements of a number of recent Summons lab alumni over the last few years. To see more, head over to the Alumni page.
To Make a Virtual Fieldtrip, Start with a Real One

Roger Summons explains the role of microbial activity in the formation of oolitic sand In June 2013, Roger Summons and postdoc Ben Kotrc, with colleague Tanja Bosak, embarked on a field excursion to several sites in Western Australia as part of an Education and Public Outreach project under the auspices of the NASA Astrobiology […]
The Summons Lab goes to Tenerife

A majority of Summons lab members traveled to the island of Tenerife, Spain last week to attend the 26th International Meeting on Organic Geochemistry (IMOG 2013). Posters and presentations delivered included: Recent graduate Sara Lincoln on DISENTANGLING MARINE PLANKTONIC ARCHAEAL COMMUNITIES AND THEIR MEMBRANE LIPID ASSEMBLAGES, Roger Summons on THE BIOGEOCHEMISTRY OF OOIDS AND OOLITES, […]
Now on YouTube: What is a GC-MS?

In this video, MIT’s Dr. Christian Hallman explains what a GC-MS (gas chromatograph mass spectrometer) is and what it does. Watch the complete set of videos here.
PI Roger Summons “quoted” in the Onion

Roger Summons is featured in an article in The Onion, entitled “Planet Earth Doesn’t Know How To Make It Any Clearer It Wants Everyone To Leave.”