Monthly Archives: March 2013

Why half of Philly conventions are in life sciences

Technical.ly Philly
Mar. 29, 2013
By Sue Hamilton

 
Nearly half of all conventions that meet in Philadelphia are connected to life sciences and there’s a reason for that, say the convention center’s marketing group. It’s because the region can tout a wealth of resources in the industry that help attract convention goers.

Nearly half of all conventions that meet in Philadelphia are connected to life sciences and there’s a reason for that, said Bonnie Grant, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Congress, a division of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau. It’s because the region can tout a wealth of resources in the industry that help attract convention goers.

Philadelphia’s rich life sciences sector was just one of the things about which attendees learned at Pittcon, or the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy. The annual conference and exposition, focused on laboratory science, took place on March 17-21 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center and attracted more than 18,000 delegates and generated an economic impact of nearly $40 million, Grant said. Approximately 28 percent of the attendees were international visitors, arriving in Philadelphia from 90 countries.

 
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Science Week

University City Review
Wed, Mar 27, 2013

 

L-R: Philadelphia Academies, Inc.’s director of fund development, Monica Steigerwald, and president Lisa Nutter, with Pittcon 2013 president Ron Bargiel and Science Week chair Melinda Stephens.

Pittcon – the world’s premier annual conference and exposition on laboratory science, held March 17-21 in Philadelphia – debuted the newest developments in science instrumentation, and announced a significant commitment to science education in the Philadelphia region.

 
Following Science Week, a full week of highly visual, hands-on laboratory science lessons, interactive workshops and demonstration lectures that served hundreds of local teachers and elementary, middle and high school students, Pittcon announced a $60,000 cash contribution and $5,000 equipment donation to participating schools to support classroom learning. On March 21, as part of the donation, Pittcon presented $10,000 to nonprofit Philadelphia Academies, Inc. in support of its recently launched Quest biotechnology education program, which prepares Philadelphia’s future workforce for careers in one of the nation’s fastest-growing industries.

 

 

 

 

Dispatch from Pittcon 2013

PharmaManufacturing.com
March 22, 2013
By Steve Kuehn, Editor in Chief

 
The full force of industry serving the scientific community was evident at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia the week of March 18, where more than 1,000 exhibitors were on the premises displaying the many products and services industrial, academic and government labs employ to deliver the promise and potential of their work. Without a doubt, the exposition serves to highlight the latest innovations across a broad spectrum of disciplines ranging from analytical chemistry, drug discovery, nanotechnology, life sciences, environmental science and more.

Many exhibitors reserve Pittcon to introduce new offerings and innovations in the process analytical space serving pharma, and the 2013 conference was no different with developments in informatics and process analytical technologies taking center stage for Pharmaceutical Manufacturing’s readers.

In pursuit of efficiencies across commercial laboratory environments, informatics and related information, technologies are emerging to bridge gaps and create synergies that help researchers and clinicians stick to their core competencies while supporting the management and administration of laboratory data as well as other aspects of lab operations to meet research and development and similar business and competitive imperatives.

 
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Can Pittcon 2013 Turn the Tide?

Bulk Solids Handling
March 22, 2013
by Marc Platthaus

 
With more than 1000 companies, Pittcon 2013 (in Philadelphia/USA) saw a rise in exhibitors for the first time in years. The question is, whether this development also see visitor numbers rising…

Philadelphia/USA – 2013 starts with the first big event for analytics: The Pittcon 2013 (March 17.-22, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia). In a year without big European tradeshows, Pittcon offers one of the rare chances to get an in-deep insight in the trends and developmens for laboratory technology, food, analytics and pharmaceutical research.

 
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First Time in Philadelphia is a Success for Pittcon 2013

 
Philadelphia, PA –  March 21, 2013

  • More than 18,000 attendees
  • Exhibiting Companies from 28 Countries
  • Food Labs Conference Held in Conjunction with Pittcon
  • Technical Program Highly Acclaimed

 
Pittcon 2013, the 64th Conference and Exposition for Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, ended today. This global event brought together more than 18,000 attendees; 40% of which attended the Conference for the first time. New this year, was the partnership between Pittcon and Innovative Publishing, publishers of Food Safety Tech and organizers of Food Labs Conference. This strategic partnership led to the co-location of Food Labs Conference to be held in conjunction with Pittcon. The organizers of both events were pleased with their first-year success and are looking forward to expanding the relationship.

Pittcon 2013 President Ronald Bargiel was very positive about the overall results of this two-day conference and commented, “The food industry is one of Pittcon’s top industries for growth. We are excited about this newly formed partnership with Food Safety Tech and look forward to working jointly to increase Pittcon’s presence in the food industry.”

Rick Biros, president of Innovative Publishing and publisher of Food Safety Tech added, “Co-locating with Pittcon makes perfect sense for everyone. This partnership makes it possible for food industry lab managers to significantly benefit from the first conference [Food Labs] focused on their needs along with having access to thousands of laboratory technology suppliers at Pittcon—All under one roof.”

 

Global Attendance Remains Strong

Pittcon has always had a strong global presence, and 2013 was no exception with 28% of attendees being from outside the United States; top countries by attendance were Canada, China, United Kingdom, Japan, Mexico, and Brazil. Attendees include lab managers, scientists, chemists, researchers and professors, from industrial, academic, and government labs. They represent an equally broad number of scientific disciplines including life science, food science, drug discovery, environmental, forensics, nanotechnology, water/wastewater, energy/fuel, agriculture and bioterrorism.

The dynamic exposition floor consisted of 1,011 exhibitors from 28 countries occupying 1,925 booths displaying the latest innovations in instrumentation and technology used in laboratory science. This year, we welcomed 167 first-time exhibitors. There were three specialized areas on the floor —Life Science, Laboratory Information Management (LIMS) and New Exhibitors.

Key decision makers attending the conference account for 80% of the attendees who rely on the exposition to identify or finalize the purchase of laboratory products for their organizations. Ken Grant, director of sales and marketing for Analtech commented, “We have been exhibiting at Pittcon for decades. . .every year, the experience gets better and better. . . not just the quantity, but in quality of interactions.”

 

Robust Technical Program Offers Multiple Educational Opportunities

Pittcon offered more than 2,000 technical sessions presented in 78 symposia, 12 awards, 93 oral sessions, 12 workshops and 62 posters. Approximately 40% of the presentations focused on life science topics.

In 2012, The Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy and the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation signed an agreement under which the Conference has received an endowment to undertake educational training and development in laboratory sciences with special emphasis in resource limited countries worldwide. Therefore, we have renamed our plenary and keynote lecture in honor of Wallace H. Coulter.

Former Pittcon President Jon Peace stated, “We were very honored to be the recipients of this grant. Mr. Coulter’s passions were the application of engineering principles to scientific research and embracing the diversity of world cultures which are consistent with our mission and the international impact of the Conference. He added, “We strongly believe that this [grant] will go a long way to perpetuate quality programming at Pittcon.”

The Foundation’s Vice President of Technology Development, Elias Caro, commented, “We chose to make this gift to Pittcon because of its excellent educational programs and worldwide leadership, two passions that Wallace Coulter embraced during his remarkable career. We hope that this funding will jump start programs that improve laboratory science in the developing world, continuing Wallace Coulter’s efforts to advance the collective knowledge.”

The Wallace H. Coulter Plenary Lecture, presented by Nobel Laureate Sir Harry Kroto, was attended to a capacity audience followed by a complimentary mixer. The Wallace H. Coulter Keynote speaker, R. Barnett, discussed his research and findings on the Large Hadron Collider and the experiments and nature of the Higgs boson.

The 42 Conferee Networking sessions provided a unique opportunity for conferees from around the world to meet in an informal setting to discuss topics of mutual interest. The facilitator-assisted sessions discuss techniques, solutions to challenges and innovative concepts. One of the highlights of these sessions was “The Future of Marcellus Shale” with Michael Krancer, secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection.

The Short Course program offered an opportunity for skill-building training and continuing education for laboratory professionals. Participants have stated that these courses are another factor in selecting Pittcon as the one conference they attend every year. This year, 100 short courses were offered covering a wide variety of topics with a special emphasis on nanotechnology specifically nanomaterials, health/safety, and nanotechnology in life science. Lab management courses are a significant part of the program and provide critical insight into the interpretation of the requirements of regulatory aspects, global guidelines, and laboratory standards.

The diverse selections, ranging from beginning to advanced levels, were attended by more than 1,400 participants.
The 2013 Short Course Chairman Heather Juzwa remarked, “Short Courses play an important role in the Pittcon experience for our attendees. Our courses help laboratory personnel to understand current industry trends, prepare them for the challenges of changing environments, and assist with achieving educational and developmental career goals.”

 

Miscellaneous Information

  • The Pittcon Employment Bureau posted more than 450 available positions from 150 employers and resumes from 525 candidates.
  • Each year through Science Week, Pittcon offers outreach and support programs for science education in the city that hosts its annual convention. Six hands-on workshops designed for upper elementary school students and middle school students led 780 students through the exciting process of experimentation and discovery. Teacher workshops supported by school equipment grants were attended by 105 elementary, middle and high school teachers from the Philadelphia area. Lee Marek conducted the highly educational yet entertaining lecture/demo, “Weird Science on Fuels and Energy” to a crowd of 850 high school students.
  • The 2012/2013 Exhibitor Distributor Networking posted 350 participants collectively from Pittcon, JSIA, and BCEIA conferences.

 

Pittcon Establishes a Collaborative Program Resource Team

The Pittcon Organizing Committee announced the formation of a Program Resource Team. The purpose of this team is to collaborate with Pittcon to further develop the technical program. The Team, which has already begun working with the 2014 Program Committee, consists of experts in the fields of pharmaceutical science, nanotechnology, and food science.

Members include:

Alan G. Marshall, Ph.D.
Robert O. Lawton Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Director, Ion Cyclotron Resonance Program
Florida State University

Chad A. Mirkin, Ph.D.
Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Medicine and Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
Director of the International Institute for Nanotechnology
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
National Academy of Sciences

Lowri S. de Jager, Ph.D.
Research Chemist, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Alexander Star, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
University of Pittsburgh, Department of Chemistry

John Steichen, Ph.D.
Retired, DuPont, Senior Research Fellow

Christopher J. Welch, Ph.D.
Science Lead, Analytical Chemistry
Chair, New Technologies Review & Licensing Committee
Merck Research Laboratories

 

About Pittcon
Pittcon® is a registered trademark of The Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, a Pennsylvania non-profit organization. Co-sponsored by the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh and the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh, Pittcon is the premier annual conference and exposition on laboratory science. Proceeds from Pittcon fund science education and outreach at all levels, kindergarten through adult. Pittcon donates more than a million dollars a year to provide financial and administrative support for various science outreach activities including science equipment grants, research grants, scholarships and internships for students, awards to teachers and professors, and grants to public science centers, libraries and museums. Visit pittcon.org for more information.

 

 

 

International Science Conference Organized in East Suburbs

Trib Total Media
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
By Patrick Varine

 
For Tom Smith of Penn Hills, gaining access to the international scientific community from his home on Datura Drive might seem like a big challenge.

Smith owns and operates Penn Hills Scientific from his home, supplying moisture-analysis equipment and providing training and services to clients.

And surprisingly, access to a world of science and the laboratory instrumentation industry is just a short car ride away in Wilkins Township.

Smith is a regular exhibitor and conferee at the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy, known colloquially as Pittcon. Its staff is based in a Penn Center office in Wilkins.

Once a year, however, the 11-member staff is joined by about 100 local volunteer scientists and educators who come together to host the world’s largest annual conference for individuals who work in the laboratory science field and companies that market lab-science products.

In fact, the conference is so big, it outgrew Pittsburgh’s hotel and convention-center capacity by the late 1960s. It is now hosted alternately by New Orleans, Atlanta, Chicago, Orlando and this year, Philadelphia for the first time.

 
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Pittcon Remains Analytical Product Mecca

 
Although Pittcon is no longer a must-attend meeting for some (that would include Agilent and PerkinElmer), there are still plenty of analytical instrument companies that wouldn’t miss it. There are also roughly 9,000 analytical scientists here in Philadelphia who feel similarly.

In slightly smaller quarters this year, the exhibit hall is packed with companies from around the globe plying their wares to scientists who seem to be interested in more than just browsing. And there is plenty of new stuff for them to covet.

Bruker introduced a number of new products, including the EVOQ™ Qube and Elite: The new LC-triple quadrupole (LC-TQ) mass spectrometers are similar to Bruker’s SCION GC-TQ platform introduced in 2011, Bruker reports, in that they feature significant advances in robustness, ease of methods developments, and productivity. The EVOQ platform was designed for a singular purpose, according to Bruker, and that is “to very reliably quantify thousands of real samples with fast sample-to-report time.”

 
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True to Form, Pittcon Buzzes with Product Introductions

 
While companies insist they don’t hold back on releasing new products solely to make big splashes at Pittcon, there have been quite a few big introductions already, and the meeting is just starting.

Shimadzu kicked off the meeting last night by giving notice to its competitors that “the sleeping giant is wakening” and introducing the i3D Enterprise Service, in addition to several new gas chromatography products.

Shimadzu partnered with Integrated Analysis on the i3D, which it says is a powerful, private-cloud service for laboratories. i3D integrates storage, processing, and data mining.

According to the companies, with i3D Enterprise Service, laboratory data can be automatically and securely uploaded from instruments to a private cloud and processed on the cloud. This enables workflow execution and data mining in a fraction of the time when compared to processing on a local PC. Researchers with an Internet browser can quickly access all of their data, interrogate it from any location, and share data globally in seconds.

 
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Pittcon 2013 In Philadelphia

Chemical & Engineering News
March 12, 2013
Volume 91 Issue 9
March 4, 2013
By Linda Wang

 

More than 17,000 attendees will convene at this annual conference and exposition on lab science

The Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry & Applied Spectroscopy will be held on March 17–21 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.

Pittcon’s core focus is analytical chemistry and applied spectroscopy, with applications in fields including life sciences, drug discovery, food safety, nanotechnology, water/air analysis, and environmental science.

The conference, which annually attracts more than 17,000 attendees from industry, academia, and government from 90 countries worldwide, is sponsored by the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh and the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh.

 
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IonSense Press Conference

 

 

 
WHEN: Tuesday, March 19, 2013 (8:30 am – 9:00 am)

WHERE: Room 103C, Pennsylvania Convention Center

DESCRIPTION: Description: Please join us for a presentation on our new product for enabling Direct Analysis in Real Time on the Agilent GC/MSD instruments, the DART GSX. We will also provide an overview of our portfolio as well as a view into our latest developments for analyses in food safety and quality, forensics, and chemical materials.

 

 
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BSSN Software GmbH Press Conference

 

 

 
WHEN: Tuesday, March 19, 2013 (12:30 pm – 1:00 pm)

WHERE: Room 103A, Pennsylvania Convention Center

DESCRIPTION: At Pittcon 2013, we are unveiling a novel approach to viewing and sharing analytical data within the organization and with external partners. Using our new vendor-independent solution, scientists can access full raw data from PC and Mac desktops, the web, and from mobile devices.

With our software we make analytical data available securely in the cloud or in the internal data center in the open format AnIML. This allows you to access, share and publish data safely everywhere – no matter which device or technique – open and forever.

Curious? Come to our press conference and visit us at booth #2009

 

 
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Pittcon Expo brings scientists, companies to Philadelphia

Examiner.com
March 12, 2013
By Naomi Parikh

 
Pittcon Conference and Expo is returning to Philadelphia for its annual week-long convention, held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from March 17-21. The conference attracts current scientists for its well-known technical courses and also promotes science education in the city.

Through these short courses, the conference offers current scientists the opportunity to learn about the newest research and developments in their field. Other courses allow them to take part in hands-on work and network with their peers. Course topics range from electrochemistry to gas chromatography to technical writing.

 
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Positively Philadelphia: A Science Fair, But Strictly Business

CBS – Philadelphia, PA
March 10, 2013
By Lauren Lipton

 
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — It’s like the Auto Show or the Flower Show, but for scientists!

Thousands of people will be coming from around the world to Philadelphia later this month for the world’s premiere annual conference and exposition on laboratory science.

“When these kinds of conventions come to town, the expo floor is an amazing place to see medical equipment, the operating rooms of the future, the research of the future,” notes Bonnie Grant, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Congress.

“We’re a city of medical history,” she says. “We have the first hospital, the first medical school, the first children’s hospital, the first medical library, and so much more.”

The Pittcon conference (which started in a Pittsburgh hotel in 1950) is put together by volunteers, and Philadelphia gets more out of it than just visitors.

Hear Lauren Lipton’s extended interview with Bonnie Grant in this CBS Philly podcast (runs 4:47)

 
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Experience the Power of Innovation in Spectroscopy. . . Attend Pittcon 2013

Ingentaconnect.com – Society for Applied Spectroscopy
Volume 67, Issue 1, pages 23A-25A
Society for Applied Spectroscopy

 
Since its inception in 1950, Pittcon has always been the premier conference and exposition for members of the scientific community to gather to discover and experience the global innovations in technology, instrumentation, and research occurring in the field of laboratory science. For the first time in the history of the event, Pittcon will be in the eminent city of Philadelphia—‘‘the center of it all.’’ Greater Philadelphia is in the heart of the world’s fifth largest economy that includes major research centers in the life sciences, nanotechnology, manufacturing, energy, and pharmaceutical science. The city is only eight miles or a twenty minute rail ride from the Philadelphia International Airport, which is served by 28 airlines and 1,200 flights. Once in the city, commuting is made simple by one of the largest and most extensive public transit and commuter rail systems in the country.

The dynamic Exposition opens on Monday, March 18, and will feature the latest instrumentation, equipment, and laboratory supplies from leading companies from around the world. Approximately 50% of exhibitors launch new products at Pittcon, and 20% offer exclusive onsite discounts. You will find everything from glassware to sample preparation equipment to the most sophisticated and
innovative pieces of equipment such as optical emission or fluorescence spectrometers and UV/VIS, FT-IR, and atomic absorption spectrophotometers. In addition to the traditional specialized areas on the floor for new exhibitors, life science suppliers, and Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS), there will also be a German and a Japanese pavilion.

Pittcon continues to grow and diversify to include emerging disciplines while maintaining its core in analytical chemistry and applied spectroscopy.

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Philadelphia is Celebrating Science and a $40M Economic Impact

Philadelphia Business Journal, Mar 6, 2013
by John George, Senior Reporter

 
About 20,000 scientists — some local, and others from around the world — will be in Philadelphia later this month for the 2013 Pittcon conference.

Ronald G. Bargiel, president of Pittcon (The Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy), said the event scheduled for March 17 to 21 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center marks the return of the 63-year-old annual conference for laboratory scientists to the Northeast.

Pittcon was last held in this part of the country when New York City played host in 1990.

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Pittcon 2013 Announces Exposition Highlights

 
Pittsburgh, PA –  March 5, 2013 - The Pittcon 2013 Exposition, which takes place March 17-21, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will include 1,011 exhibitors (count as of March 1, 2013) displaying products and services used by the scientific community in industrial, academic, and government labs. The Exposition will offer the latest innovations in areas such as, but not limited to, analytical chemistry; drug discovery; nanotechnology; life sciences to include forensics, genomics, proteomics, metabolomics; food analysis and safety; environmental science; energy and fuel; and air, water and wastewater analysis.

An up-to-date list of exhibitors can be found at Exhibitor List or Exhibitor Search.

The global exhibition will consist of 223 (approximately 22%) exhibiting companies headquartered in 28 countries outside of the United States such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, China, France, Germany, and Italy. The 464,340 square foot (total footage) exposition floor will include 1,926 booths and 18 seminar rooms (counts as of March 1, 2013). This year, Pittcon will be welcoming 165 new exhibitors.

This year’s Platinum Sponsor is Shimadzu, and Gold Sponsors are ABSciex, Beckman Coulter, and Sigma-Aldrich.

Exposition amenities include complimentary mixers on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons; free souvenir and apples available in booth 4039; a twitter feed and keepsake digital photos in the Pittcon 2014 booth #4049, relaxation station on level 200 in front of Hall E; and located in the Broad Street lobby, a mini-museum display of instrumentation presented by the Chemical Heritage Foundation to celebrate the 100th anniversary of mass spectrometry.

For complete information on Pittcon 2013, visit www.pittcon.org.

 

About Pittcon
Pittcon® is a registered trademark of The Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, a Pennsylvania non-profit organization. Co-sponsored by the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh and the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh, Pittcon is the premier annual conference and exposition on laboratory science. Proceeds from Pittcon fund science education and outreach at all levels, kindergarten through adult. Pittcon donates more than a million dollars a year to provide financial and administrative support for various science outreach activities including science equipment grants, research grants, scholarships and internships for students, awards to teachers and professors, and grants to public science centers, libraries and museums. Visit pittcon.org for more information.