FEBRUARY 2009 THE PEAK 15 Science, Instrumentation, and Interaction Go Hand- In-Hand at Pittcon 2009 Thomas Ricci, Ricci Communications Pittcon 2009 will celebrate its 60th anniversary of showcasing the most advanced instrumentation and technologies and presenting the latest advances in scientific research. Pittcon is always a unique experience and provides diverse opportunities for education and interaction with leading scientific innovators and thought leaders from academia, industry, and government from around the world. Conferees can a expect a week-long immersion into science in the form of technical presentations, workshops, short courses, and networking opportunities, along with a vibrant exposition of the latest instrumentation and laboratory equipment. n atmosphere of excitement and Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy expectation will prevail when (Pittcon) is a Pennsylvania-based not-for- APittcon opens its doors to the scien- profit, educational corporation owned by tific community for the 60th time in the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh Chicago, Illinois, March 8–13 — excite- (SSP) and the Society for Analytical ment at the prospect of a week-long immer- Chemists of Pittsburgh (SACP). Proceeds sion into science, opportunities to learn from Pittcon are used to fund science edu- from leaders in the field, and high expecta- cation outreach programs in the greater tions of seeing the most advanced labora- Pittsburgh area, in the host city, and tory instrumentation in use today. throughout the United States. Unlike most The Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical other conferences and exhibitions, Pittcon is 16 THE PEAK FEBRUARY 2009 Figure 1: The Pittcon Exposition floor. organized by an all-volunteer committee global impact on the advancement of and small office staff (1). science. Anticipating more than 20,000 attendees, Most recently, Dr. Roger Tsien, Univer- organizers of Pittcon 2009 look forward to sity of California, San Diego, delivered the presenting a comprehensive multidiscipli- plenary lecture at Pittcon 2006. Two years nary technical program to complement the later, he was awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize premier product exposition in the industry. in Chemistry for his discovery and develop- Here are just a few of the highlights of this ment of the green fluorescent protein year’s conference and exposition (Figure 1). (GFP). His discovery revolutionized the fields of cell biology and neurobiology by Is There a Nobel Laureate Waiting allowing scientists to peer inside living cells in the Wings? and observe the behavior of molecules in It is not unlikely that one of the many sci- real time (2). entists who are presenting their research At Pittcon 2004, lectures by 2002 Nobel during Pittcon will one day be recognized Laureates in Chemistry, Koichi Tanaka of with the Nobel Prize in their discipline. In Shimadzu and Kurt Wuthrich of the Swiss Pittcon’s 60-year history, there have been Federal Institute of Technology were a high- many Nobel Laureates who have partici- light of the technical program (3). Tanaka pated in the technical program and shared was recognized for developing a novel inventions and research that have made a method for mass spectrometry (MS) analy- 18 THE PEAK FEBRUARY 2009 At Pittcon 2003, Fenn gave what he referred to as an “archaeological expedition” of the history of electrospray ionization (ESI), the technology for which he shared the Nobel Prize. Since Fenn’s group devel- oped the technique in the early 1980s, ESI has become an essential tool for the MS analysis of extremely large biomolecules (5). Among the other Nobel Laureates who have taken the podium at Pittcon over the years are: ● Ahmed H. Zewail, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1999 ● Kai M. Siegbahn, Nobel Prize in Physics 1981 ● Rosalyn Yalow, Nobel Prize in Physiol- ogy or Medicine 1977 Figure 2: Dr. Chad Mirkin, 2009 Pittsburgh ● Analytical Chemistry Award. Gerhard Herzberg, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1971 ses of biological macromolecules. Wuthrich ● Charles H. Townes, Pittcon plenary was recognized for his development of speaker and Nobel Prize in Physics 1964 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy ● Archer John Porter Martin, Nobel Prize for determining the three-dimensional in Chemistry 1952 structure of biological macromolecules in solution. The 2002 Nobel Prize in Chem- Scientific Leaders to be istry was also shared by John B. Fenn of Vir- Recognized for Their Recent ginia Commonwealth University, Rich- Achievements mond, for his work in the field of MS, If there are Nobel Laureates to emerge some specifically for the electrospray ionization time in the future, conferees might find technique often used to identify and analyze potential candidates in the Pittcon Awards biological macromolecules. Symposia, where the most significant scien- Paul Lauterbur, the 1985 Maurice Has- tific achievements are recognized annually. sler Award and 1987 Pittsburgh Spec- Many Nobel Laureates have received these troscopy Award Winner, shared the Nobel very awards in recognition of their contribu- Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2003 for tions. Here are some of the highlights in the his work, which made the development of Pittcon Awards program. magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) possible Dr. Chad Mirkin will be presented with (4). the Pittsburgh Analytical Chemistry Award. 20 THE PEAK FEBRUARY 2009 Ralph N. Adams Award. Dr. Cooks’ group focuses on MS, including fundamental phe- nomena, instrumentation, and analytical applications. At the awards presentation, Dr. Cooks will present his group’s most recent work in desorption electrospray ion- ization (DESI), which allows mass spectra to be obtained almost anywhere at ambient temperatures, from inert surfaces or directly from living tissues with no sample prepara- tion. He envisions that this research will soon lead to the commercial development of a miniature mass spectrometer that would enable rapid tissue analyses in situ, during surgery (Figure 3). Dr. Ira W. Levin, National Institutes of Health, will be presented with the Pitts- Figure 3: Dr. R. Graham Cooks, 2009 Ralph N. Adams Award. burgh Spectroscopy Award. Dr. Levin’s work involves high-throughput spectro- Dr. Mirkin is the George B. Rathmann Pro- scopic imaging approaches to identify fessor of Chemistry at Northwestern Uni- molecular biomarkers. His laboratory has versity and Director of the International participated directly at the patient level in Institute for Nanotechnology. He is also the collaborations with cardiologists and trans- most-cited nanotechnologist in the world. plantation surgeons. In his award presenta- Mirkin is best known for the development tion, Dr. Levin will describe procedures in of nanoparticle-based biodetection schemes, which visible reflectance imaging tech- the invention of dip-pen nanolithography, niques are used to aid surgeons in perform- and contributions to supramolecular chem- ing laparoscopic procedures by allowing the istry. A total of 15 companies have been assessment of tissue oxygenation and vessel founded to commercialize technologies differentiation despite significant visual lim- developed at the Nanotechnology Institute. itations (Figure 4). Dr. Mirkin personally has founded several Other Pittcon awards to distinguished companies that have developed products scientists include: based upon technology developed in his lab- ● Dr. Nelson Torto, Rhodes University; oratory (Figure 2). The Analytical Chemistry Award for Dr. R. Graham Cooks, Henry B. Hass Young Investigators in Separation Sci- Distinguished Professor – Analytical Chem- ence. This award recognizes and encour- istry, Purdue University, will receive the ages outstanding contributions to the 22 THE PEAK FEBRUARY 2009 recognizes outstanding work in the field of chromatography. ● Dr. Gary M. Hieftje, Indiana University; The Maurice F. Hasler Award. This award recognizes notable achievements in spectroscopy that have significantly improved applications on a broad scale. ● Dr. Daniel T. Chiu, University of Wash- ington; The 2009 Pittsburgh Conference Achievement Award. This award recog- nizes significant contributions to the fields of analytical chemistry and applied spectroscopy in the 10 years following completion of the Ph.D. degree. ● Dr. Jerome J. Workman, Jr., Luminous Medical Inc.; The Williams Wright Figure 4: Dr. Ira W. Levin, 2009 Pittsburgh Award. The Coblentz Society presents Spectroscopy Award. this award to recognize the industrial spectroscopist who has made significant field of separation science by a young contributions to vibrational spectroscopy chemist or chemical engineer within 10 while working in industry. years of their highest degree. ● Dr. Martin Quack, Swiss Federal Insti- Plenary Lecture Focused on tute of Technology (ETH) Zürich; The Science and Technology Issues in Bomen-Michelson Award. The Coblenz Developing Countries Society presents this award annually in Dr. George M. Whitesides, the Woodford L recognition of contributions to the field and Ann A. Flowers University Professor at of molecular spectroscopy. Harvard University Department of Chem- ● Dr. Charles R. Martin, University of istry and Chemical Biology, will deliver this Florida; The Charles N. Reilley Award. year’s Plenary Lecture during the Sunday This award recognizes an active re- afternoon technical program. Dr. White- searcher who has made a major contri- sides’ presentation, “Paper Diagnostics- bution to the theory, instrumentation, or Using First World Science in Developing applications of electroanalysis. Economies,” will discuss solutions