Unfortunately, there is no one analytical tool that can provide all the information needed about a given sample. For a holistic understanding of complex biogeochemical processes, particularly in the rhizosphere, we need data from various tools ideally on the same exact sample. This can be difficult for several reasons: (1) different sample preparation requirements for various techniques, (2) some techniques are destructive, (3) different resolutions of datasets, (4) integration of datasets (beyond aligning in illustrator). 

We are working with researchers at EMSL and the ALS to apply several analytical capabilities on a sample, so that we can develop workflows to ship a single sample between facilities, and subsequently to integrate and analyze in a meaningful way (using the MicroAnalysis Toolkit).