The second educational grass roots event held by The Chromatographic Society, has been hailed a great success. 

The four-day course for post-graduate students and novice chromatographers took place at the Long Mynd Hotel in Church Stretton and was delivered by renowned expert chromatographers, Professor Mel Euerby from Shimadzu, Tony Taylor from Crawford Scientific, Professor Tony Edge from Agilent and Dr Paul Ferguson from AstraZeneca, who between them, have more than 120 years of experience. 

21 delegates from a diverse range of applications backgrounds (both academic and industrial), and with differing levels of prior experience, gathered for the course which focused on learning about the fundamentals of chromatographic separations and building a toolbox of knowledge for industrial applications of the analytical technique.  Specifically, the course covered analyte physicochemical properties in various mobile phases, theory and nomenclature of liquid chromatography, modes of chromatography, preparation and chemistry of the mobile phase, chemistry of the stationary phase, parameter optimisation for improved separation, isocratic vs gradient separation and resources available to chromatographers.  With varying lecturing styles, changes of pace and depth of content, there was something for everybody.  

David Jones of VRS, one of the sponsors of the event, also delivered tips on constructing a CV and how to prepare for job interviews.  In addition, the weekend included walking and social events.  

“I found the weekend useful for absorbing practice tips and tricks and would recommend the event as a networking resource for chromatographers,” says delegate Christina Vanhinsbergh.  “I have a new perspective on design of experiment methodologies and will be utilising the advice given on method development in my own research.”

“The first event of this kind took place in the Lake District last year and was a tremendous success.  We were keen to replicate an inspiring environment with a culture of learning and debate; Church Stretton provided the perfect retreat.” said President of the Chromatographic Society, Professor Tony Edge.  “This year’s event has once again, proved extremely productive and feedback so far has been very positive.  I should also like to thank our sponsors: Shimadzu, Hichrom, YMC, VRS and Thermo Fisher Scientific, without whom, we would not have been able to organise this event and progress our aim of supporting tomorrow’s chromatographers and separation science in the UK.” 

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