Pittcon 2012 In Orlando

The Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry & Applied Spectroscopy will be held on March 11–15 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. The conference, which annually attracts more than 15,000 attendees from industry, academia, and government from 90 countries worldwide, is sponsored by the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh and the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh.

As of C&EN’s press time, Pittcon 2012 has more than 900 exhibitors registered to appear in more than 1,800 booths. Some 2,000 technical presentations and nearly 100 short courses are planned.

All conference information, including registration and housing, is on the Web at pittcon.org. Registration for the entire conference costs $230, and one-day registration is $115. The cost for full-time students with a valid ID is $25 for the entire conference.

The American Chemical Society’s Division of Analytical Chemistry (ANYL) is again providing programming at Pittcon. Its symposia are titled “Measurement Tools for Reactive Oxygen & Nitrogen Species,” “Integrated Microfluidics,” “Looking Ahead to a New Era of Analytical Chemistry Education,” “Multidimensional Chromatography,” “Use of Ionic Additives in Separations,” “Young Investigator in Separation Science Award,” “Differential Ion Mobility Spectrometry (FAIMS): New Instrumentation & Applications,” and “Hydrogen Deficient Radicals for Biomolecular Characterization by MS.” Organized contributed sessions will also be held on “It’s Not Your Grandmother’s Quant Course Anymore: New Tactics for a New Age,” “Celebrating the Future of Analytical Chemistry—The ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry Graduate Fellows,” “Fast Separations,” and “Modeling Chromatographic Systems.” An analytical poster session will be offered as well.

R. Graham Cooks, Henry B. Hass Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry at Purdue University, will deliver the Pittcon 2012 Plenary Lecture at 4:30 PM on Sunday, March 11. He will speak about “Ambient Ionization and Mini-Mass Spectrometers: In Situ MS for Everyone.”

Steven A. Benner, distinguished fellow at the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, will deliver the Capstone Lecture, “Redesigning DNA: Fixing God’s Mistakes,” at 5 PM on Wednesday, March 14. A complimentary mixer will follow the lecture.

Conferee networking sessions, which are free to all registered attendees, will provide a forum for participants to meet other people with similar interests, share experiences regarding new technology, and brainstorm new ideas. These two-hour, facilitated sessions enable conferees and exhibitors to discuss topics of mutual interest or solve problems specific to certain instrumentation.

Exposition. The exposition provides attendees with hands-on access to instrumentation, laboratory apparatuses, and other lab-related products and services. Hours are 9 AM to 5 PM on Monday, March 12, through Wednesday, March 14, and 9 AM to 3 PM on Thursday, March 15. Pittcon features “expo only” hours from 11 AM to 2 PM when no technical sessions are scheduled, so attendees won’t have to skip a technical session to visit the expo.

In the center of the exposition floor, an area dubbed Technology Park will provide a place to relax and network, view a da Vinci surgical robot and surgical simulator as well as exhibitor videos, and obtain complimentary copies of industry publications. Specialty areas on the floor this year will include New Exhibitors, Life Sciences, and LIMS. Posters will be displayed in two areas, Red and Blue, located at each end of the exhibit floor. Other amenities include afternoon mixers on Tuesday and Thursday, a tram to ease travel around the exhibit floor, and Internet and Twitter cafés (#pittcon).

Awards. Eleven awards will be presented at Pittcon to recognize scientists who have made outstanding contributions to analytical chemistry and applied spectroscopy.

Pittsburgh Analytical Chemistry Award: Alan G. Marshall, distinguished research professor, Florida State University.

Pittsburgh Spectroscopy Award: W. E. Moerner, professor of chemistry, Stanford University.

Pittcon Heritage Award: Genzo Shimadzu Sr. (1839–94) and Genzo Shimadzu Jr. (1868–1951) of Shimadzu Corp.; Shigehiko Hattori, chairman of Shimadzu’s board, will accept the award.

Pittsburgh Conference Achievement Award: Christy L. Haynes, associate professor of chemistry, University of Minnesota.

ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry Award for Young Investigators in Separation Science: Jared L. Anderson, professor of analytical chemistry, University of Toledo.

Bomem-Michelson Award from the Coblentz Society/ABB: Joel M. Harris, distinguished professor of chemistry, University of Utah.

Charles N. Reilley Award of the Society for Electroanalytical Chemistry (SEAC): Debra R. Rolison, head of advanced electrochemical materials at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C.

Dal Nogare Award: Purnendu K. Dasgupta, professor of chemistry, University of Texas, Arlington.

Ralph N. Adams Award in Bioanalytical Chemistry: Jonathan V. Sweedler, professor of chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Williams Wright Award from the Coblentz Society: Richard Crocombe, director of strategy deployment, Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Young Investigators Award of SEAC: Lane A. Baker, assistant professor of chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington.

Nominations are also being solicited for four of next year’s Pittcon awards:

Pittsburgh Analytical Chemistry Award. The award includes a cash prize and travel costs to Pittcon. The honor recognizes significant contributions to the field of analytical chemistry, including the introduction of a significant technique, theory, or instrument and the provision of exceptional training or a fertile environment for progress in analytical chemistry. Nominations are due by April 27.

Pittsburgh Spectroscopy Award. This award honors outstanding contributions in the field of applied spectroscopy. Nominations are due by March 30. For more information, visit the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh’s website at ssp-pgh.org.

Pittsburgh Conference Achievement Award. This award is presented annually at Pittcon to recognize outstanding achievements in analytical chemistry and/or applied spectroscopy. To be eligible for the 2013 award, nominees must have completed their Ph.D. on or after March 1, 2002. Nominations are due by April 10.

Ralph N. Adams Award in Bioanalytical Chemistry. The prize, which includes a cash award and travel expenses, recognizes significant contributions to the field of bioanalytical chemistry, broadly defined. The recipient will have introduced a significant technique, theory, instrument, or application important to the life sciences and will have also provided an exceptional environment to educate bioanalytical chemists. Nominations are due by April 30.

Employment. Pittcon offers a free Employment Bureau service during the meeting. The bureau provides a venue for candidates to review active job openings—which typically number 500 to 1,000—and for employers to review candidate résumés and schedule interviews. To qualify for this service, a participant must be registered either as a conferee or as an exhibitor for Pittcon 2012 and must also register as either a candidate or an employer. Candidates and employers are highly encouraged to register for the Employment Bureau before Sunday, March 11.

Candidates should bring printed and electronic résumés and a computer or other device for accessing the Internet and e-mail. The Employment Bureau will be located in the Valencia Ballroom (room 415AB) at the convention center. Further details can be found at pittcon.org/attendees/employment.php.

For the first time, Pittcon will also offer a Career Information Center, where candidates can ask questions about résumé preparation and interviewing, and an Employer Information Center, where candidates can ask questions and obtain literature from employers. Both services will be available in room 315A.

Short Courses. The Pittcon 2012 Short Course Program will consist of nearly 100 courses in areas including pharmaceuticals, biomedical and other life sciences, physical and analytical techniques, computer and environmental applications, quality assurance, laboratory management, instrumentation, chemometrics, and education. Further details can be found at pittcon.org/short. Registration fees range from $335 for half-day courses to $1,300 for two-day courses. Students receive a 50% discount. Attendees who take three paid courses receive free conference registration.