The Column - April 2009 - (Page 33)

April 2009 www.thecolumn.eu.com The Column Meeting Review Pittcon Continues to Shine in Its 60th Anniversary Celebration Ed Ladner, President, Pittcon 2009. A struggling global economy didn’t tarnish the lustre from the 60th celebration of the Pittsburgh Conference and Exposition, which was held in Chicago, Illinois, USA, from 8–13 March. Pittcon 2009 welcomed more than 19 000 visitors who travelled to the “Windy City” to learn about the latest innovations and advances from the world’s scientific leaders. This year’s annual conference and exposition saw a 2% increase in conferees over 2008, as more researchers took advantage of the educational opportunities presented in the multi-discipline technical programme and the personal interaction with more than 1000 exhibitors in the product exposition. International interest was high as nearly 20% of attendees were from beyond US borders. Of the nearly 90 countries represented, the highest concentrations of attendees outside of the US were from Europe, Asia and South America. The strong attendance at this year’s conference in the face of economic struggles is testimony to the value that Pittcon brings to the global scientific community each year. We are very grateful for the support of our exhibiting companies and all of the scientists who make Pittcon the premier live event for the scientific community. Park, afforded attendees an opportunity to sit and take a rest from navigating the 673 200 sq. ft exposition hall. New Green Chemistry Corner Pittcon typically sets aside areas on the exposition floor for companies specializing in life sciences and laboratory informatics products and technologies and organizes a special new exhibitor area as well. This year, Pittcon 2009 introduced the “Green Corner”, where 13 companies displayed products and services for green chemistry solutions, resource conservation and laboratory pollution prevention techniques. More Networking Sessions In 2007, Pittcon introduced a new programme for conferees to facilitate informal discussions on various scientific topics. These two-hour networking sessions are typically focused on addressing problems and brainstorming potential solutions. The programme has become very popular and Pittcon 2009 hosted more than 30 networking sessions on topics that were suggested by conferees. Comprehensive Technical Programme A Focus on Scientific Interaction In past years, Pittcon has directed its focus towards increasing opportunities for personal interaction between the technical experts from exhibiting companies and conferees. For that purpose, the poster sessions were once again held on the exposition floor and Pittcon hosted two mixers on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon in the exposition area to provide more opportunities for technical interactions. An open area on the exposition floor, called Millennium Contact author: E-mail: Ed Ladner nardozzi@pittcon.org Pittcon continued its efforts towards strengthening the technical programme and showcased novel scientific techniques and applications and the most recent advances in research across a wide range of disciplines. The programme comprised nearly 2 500 sessions, including invited symposia, contributed oral presentations, workshops and poster sessions. The programme featured invited speakers from academia, the government and industry who addressed topics of global interest, such as alternative and sustainable 33 http://www.thecolumn.eu.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Column - April 2009

The Column - April 2009
Contents
HPTLC Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Mussels After a Crude Oil Spill in Chile
News
Incognito - Pittcon Pioneers…
Market Trends & Analysis
Characterizing the Secreted Proteome of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis by LC–MS–MS
Tips and Tricks: GPC/SEC
Meeting Review - Pittcon 2009
Q&A

The Column - April 2009