Event Preview: Virtual Symposium on Applied Separation Science (VSASS 2015)

The first Virtual Symposium on Applied Separation Science (VSASS) will be held on 25–29 May 2015 on-line. Accessible via a web link (www.vsass.org), the entire symposium will be held on-line including posters, workshops, and sessions.

Sessions
Over 60 speakers from around the world are scheduled to give lectures during the symposium. Each talk will be recorded and will be available for on-demand viewing immediately following the live broadcast. The following sessions are scheduled:

•  “Tribute to Georges Guiochon” chaired by Fabrice Gritti.

•  “UHPLC” chaired by Tivadar Farkas.

•  “Column Technology” chaired by Andrew Shaliker.

• “Monoliths” chaired by Bezhan Chankvetadze.

• “Modelling” chaired by Attila Felinger.

• “Toxicology” chaired by Sky Countryman.

• “Clinical Analysis” chaired by Rhonda Greaves.

• “Forensics” chaired by Xavier Conlan.

• “Lipidomics/Metabolomics” chaired by Oliver Jones.

• “Polymer” chaired by Peter Schoenmakers.

• “SFC” chaired by Bill Farrell.

• “LC–MS” chaired by Chris Hodgkins.

• "Multi-D Separations” chaired by Robert Shellie.

Each session features presentations from multiple speakers on a range of subtopics, so please refer to the website for further details.

Workshops
Workshops designed for beginners will be held and will be free of charge to attend, but there are only limited spaces available. The opportunity to reserve a space will be available on completing registration. The following workshops will be available:

• HPLC/UHPLC - Pre "flight" checks - Part 1

• HPLC/UHPLC  - Pre "flight" checks - Part 2

• HPLC/UHPLC - Pre "flight" checks - Part 3

• HPLC/UHPLC  - Column Care and Maintenance

Posters
In this virtual world, the poster presentation component is extremely important. To acknowledge the contributions and to ensure the highest standards, best poster awards will be offered. There will be three awards given according to different selection criteria. Posters will be evaluated on the basis of scientific content, clarity of presentation, and innovation.

Judge’s Choice Poster Award: This award is based on the expert opinion of the session chair and two other experts in separation science. All posters submitted to VSASS will be categorised according to the content fit within a session. The top five posters in each session will be short-listed by the judges and the winner will be selected from the top five. The prize for the best poster is $500.

The People’s Choice Award: The winner will be selected by votes accumulated from registered conference attendees - 1 vote per registration in each session. The winner of the Judge’s choice is not eligible for the People’s Choice Award. The prize is $500 per award.

The Georges Guiochon Poster Award: This award is to honour the memory of Georges Guiochon, and will recognize his extensive contributions to separation science and his mentorship to young scientists. The award includes a cash prize of $1000 plus an invitation to present a talk at the next VSASS meeting.

The deadline for poster submissions is 20 June 2015 but it is advised to submit before the conference start date. Winners will be announced on 25 June 2015.

Registration InformationLCGC is co-sponsoring 50% of the registration fee. Simply enter the following code when registering: LCGC

Early bird registration fee (Ends 22 May):
Academic/Industry $195 USD
Student $95 USD

Registration includes:

• The ability to submit posters

• Qualification for poster awards

• Access to all live talks/sessions

• Access to all posters

• Access to register for workshops

• Access to on-demand viewing of all talks for one year


When registering, make sure to not share your password - login is limited to one device per user at a time. Student registration requires a photo image (jpg) of your student card to be uploaded - make sure to have it ready during registration.

System Requirements

• Internet connection

• Computer, tablet, or phone with browser

• Up-to-date internet browser (Chrome 39, Opera 26, Firefox 35, Safari 8.0, Internet Explorer 11)

Chair: Professor Andrew Shalliker, University of Western Sydney, Australia
Email: r.shalliker@uws.edu.au
Website: www.vsass.org