Pittcon Raising Awareness for Autism During 2019 Conference

Pittcon is partnering with the PEAL Center to bring awareness during this year’s event

Pittsburgh, PA – MArch 5, 2019 – Pittcon, the premier annual conference and exposition on laboratory science being held in Philadelphia, PA March 17-21 2019, is proud to announce its autism awareness efforts during this year’s conference. Pittcon is teaming up with the Parent Education & Advocacy Leadership Center (PEAL), which helps families of children with disabilities and special needs, to help raise money and awareness throughout the conference.

“This is a cause that is near and dear to my wife Penny (2011 Pittcon President) and I’s heart,” said Pittcon 2019 President Chuck Gardner. “Through our son, we’ve seen first hand the great work the PEAL Center does for individuals and families with special needs and disabilities. We’re really excited to be working with them this year to help raise money for a great cause.”

Pittcon and the PEAL Center will be bringing awareness to and raising money for this special cause through various efforts during the conference. Some of those include:

• A 20ft tall pop-up planetarium show which expo attendees can attend for a $5 donation.
• 5K Walk/Run on March 18th in collaboration with Anton Paar, with the proceeds going to the PEAL Center.
• #PennysForPittcon: For each tweet of this hashtag during the conference, Pittcon will donate $1 (up to $5,000).
• Thursday afternoon dunk tank on the expo floor: A small donation to the PEAL Center must be made to throw a pitch at dunk tank participants (which include Gardner).
• Autism popsockets and cell phone wallets will be sold for $5 each. These will be available at locations throughout the conference, with 100% proceeds going to the autism fund.
• Exhibitor Donations: Select exhibitors will be donating to the cause. KNF has donated $500, and Tosoh Bioscience and Fritsch Milling and Sizing Inc. will be donating $1 for every badge scanned.

“After 2011, I honestly didn’t think I’d get another opportunity to preach the message of autism awareness at Pittcon,” said Past President Penny Gardner. “We’ve got a lot of iron in the fire this year in terms of fundraising and awareness and we expect it to be a very successful effort.”
For more information on Pittcon 2019, visit www.pittcon.org. For more information on the PEAL Center visit www.pealcenter.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.