Welcome

Good morning and welcome to the third and final day of LCGC North America's coverage of Pittcon 2006 in Orlando, Florida. It has been a great week for our staff, who truly worked overtime to bring you the latest developments from the show. We hope you enjoyed reading our daily report and that you found the information on sessions, awards, and general happenings useful.

As we wrap up the week here in Orlando, you'll find many interesting items in the issue below. However, I think the most notable may be the Pittsburgh Analytical Chemistry Award, which is reported on by staff editor Patrick Kempf. This year, the award went to Michael Ramsey of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, for his significant contributions to the field of analytical chemistry over the past year. Past award winners have included scientists and academics from all of the separation sciences, and this year Ramsey was cited for his work in nanofluidics, a very popular area at the moment. Awards such as this separate Pittcon from many of the other conferences, as we are reminded that behind every new instrument and hot new product release is a person dedicating their time and effort to do the research necessary to cure disease, create new medicines, and generally make the world a better place.

In addition to this award, session reports from our staff editors round out the final day's coverage, with columnists John Dolan and John Hinshaw bringing you yet another day of their recommendations. The expertise of these two industry veterans has been greatly appreciated this week, and we'd like to take this opportunity to thank them for their time.

It has been our pleasure to bring you this meeting report, and you can look for more offerings of this kind in the future. Internet-based products such as LCGC's e-zine, "The Peak," continue to grow by the month, while e-product blasts and webinars grow in popularity. If you'd like more information on any of these products, or if you'd just like to read the current issue of LCGC, please visit our webpage at www.lcgcmag.com.

Thank you for your support this week and have a safe trip home.

David Walsh

Editor-in-Chief

LCGC North America