Pittcon 2014 Preview

Pittcon 2014 will offer the opportunity to engage with new products and services from instrument vendors, participate in a diverse educational technical programme, and engage with colleagues from around the world in the one place. The conference will be held from 2–6 March 2014 at McCormick Place South in Chicago, USA.

Pittcon is held annually and offers attendees the chance to explore, evaluate, and compare the latest analytical and ancillary equipment from leading companies. It is estimated that approximately 50% of exhibitors launch new products and technologies at the event, giving visitors a first-hand opportunity to find out about the latest developments. Technical experts will be on hand to give advice on critical issues and solutions, as well as offering live product demonstrations. There will be an opportunity to attend exhibitor seminars that provide valuable insight into functionality and applications. Several speciality areas will be open on the floor including: The New Exhibitor and Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMSs) sections along with the Japanese and German pavilions.

Technical Programme

A key feature of the conference is the diverse technical programme. Beginning on Sunday 2 March, the programme features symposia, contributed and oral sessions, workshops, awards, and posters presented by world-renowned speakers. The opening session will feature the Wallace H. Coulter Plenary Lecture, "Quantitative Proteomics in Biology, Chemistry, and Medicine", presented by Steven A. Carr, director of proteomics at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard (Massachusetts, USA). Carr will discuss the new era of quantitative biology that has been enabled by mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomic technologies. Other highlights of interest are:

• New Wave of Gas Chromatography, by Milton L. Lee, Brigham Young University (Utah, USA), will present new developments in gas chromatography (GC) that promise a new wave of GC instruments of reduced size, improved speed, and improved resolution.

• Ion Mobility Separations in Proteomics and Structural Biology, presented by Alexandre A. Shvartsburg, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (Washington, USA), will focus on how ion mobility separations (IMS) hybridized to MS have emerged as a powerful analytical approach.

• Method Development Strategies for Two-Dimensional Liquid Chromatography, by Dwight Stoll, Gustavus Adolphus College (Minnesota, USA), will bring together several experts in 2D LC from a variety of backgrounds to present their perspective on best practices for method development in 2D LC.

• Imaging Mass Spectrometry of Biological Tissues and Cell Cultures, by Amanda B. Hummon, University of Notre Dame (Indiana, USA), will show how imaging mass spectrometry is a growing area of biological research, with new developments in ionization and sample preparation.

• Advances in Mass Spectrometry Based on Ultrashort Pulse Laser Technology, by Martin E. Fermann, IMRA America Inc. (Michigan, USA), will offer a state-of-the-art account of the various prevalent directions in ultrashort pulse mass spectrometry, comprising improved methods for desorption, vaporization, and ionization using fs and ps pulses.

• Capillary Liquid Chromatography — A Powerful Tool in Analytical Chemistry, by Stephen G. Weber, University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania, USA), will discuss how using capillary columns allows one to minimize waste and concentration sensitivity, interface with the dominant detectors, easily control temperature, and accommodate novel stationary phase structures.

• Liquid Chromatography in Microfluidics: A Workhorse Tool is Going Small Scale, by Adam T. Woolley, Brigham Young University (Utah, USA), will provide information on recent innovations of microfluidic systems that combine multiple on-chip sample preparation processes with subsequent electrophoretic separation. These miniaturized systems are automated and use small volumes of samples and reagents, offering excellent potential for rapid biomarker analysis.

• Clinical Analysis: The Next Frontier in Mass Spectrometry, by Timothy J Garrett, University of Florida (Florida, USA), will assemble scientists from both the research and clinical fields to discuss new and old mass spectrometry tools being used in clinical analysis and offers attendees the opportunity to discuss the potential for MS in patient-oriented analyses.

Pittcon Honours Scientific Achievement

An important feature of Pittcon is to recognize and honour the achievements of scientists who have made outstanding contributions to analytical chemistry and applied spectroscopy. The Chromatography Forum of the Delaware Valley Dal Nogare Award will be presented to Mary J. Wirth, Purdue University (Indiana, USA). An awardee is chosen on the basis of his or her contributions to the fundamental understanding of the chromatographic process. Featured within this particular prize presentation session will be the following presentations:

• Packing Capillary LC Columns with Sub-2 Micron Particles, by James Jorgenson, Justin Godinho, Edward Franklin, and James Grinias, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (North Carolina, USA).

• The Changing Relationship Between the Column and the Instrument in Modern HPLC/UHPLC, by Ronald E. Majors, LCGC Magazine

• Super-Resolution Spectroscopy Reveals Molecular-Scale Detail in Ion-Exchange Protein Separations, by Christy Landes, William Marsh Rice University (Texas, USA).

• Fluorescence Imaging of Single-Molecule Retention Trajectories in Reversed-Phase Chromatographic Particles, by Joel Harris, University of Utah (Utah, USA).

Professional Development

Another important aspect of Pittcon 2014 is the short course programme. Short courses are affordable and are suitable for the seasoned professional, the recent graduate, or the researcher interested in learning a new skill set. More than 70 courses are available covering a range of subjects relevant to chromatographers. Taught by leading field experts, there are courses ranging from beginner to advanced levels in half-, one-, or two-day sessions. The following is a sample of the short courses on offer:

• Getting the Most out of Capillary Gas Chromatography: A two-day advanced level course that will be taught by Matthew S. Klee, an independent consultant and recognized authority in the area of GC analysis and instrumentation.

• Optimizing the Performance of Your Gas Delivery System to Obtain Best and Consistent Results While Reducing your Gas Costs: A half-day class that will be taught at beginner level by Frank Kandl who has over 30 years of experience in design and manufacturing of gas delivery systems.

• Practical Gas Chromatography: Presented by Eugene F. Barry, a professor of chemistry at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA, the course will span two days and will be taught at an intermediate level.

Networking Sessions

The ability to network face-to-face has always been one of the major benefits of investing the time and cost of travel to attend Pittcon. Conferee networking sessions are one of the ways that attendees with similar interests are brought together to discuss new techniques, resolve problems, and brainstorm new ideas. These 2 h sessions are included in the cost of registration and cover topics such as analytical tools, laboratory management, and techniques used in different applications.

Stay Connected

At first glance, Pittcon can seem a bit overwhelming. The free Pittcon 2014 mobile application will help iOS and Android device users to organize schedules, technical sessions, networking sessions, short courses, search exhibitor listings, and find Chicago restaurants and entertainment. The tool is available to use before, during, and after the event.

This year's conference and exposition will attract members of the scientific community from industry, academia, and government — all to one place — for one exciting, productive week filled with discovery, innovation, and education. Registration is $150 before 10 February ($300 after this date) and includes unlimited, week-long access to all events and facilities.

Contact: Marian Nardozzi

E-mail: publicity@pittcon.org

Location: McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Tel: +1 412 825 3220 ext: 203

Fax: +1 412 825 3224

Registration: www.pittcon.org/register