Pittcon 2014, the 65th Conference and Exposition for Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, ended today. This global event brought together 16,255 conferees and exhibitor personnel.

Those who attended Pittcon for the first-time account for 36% of the conferee number. For the second year, the co-location of Food Labs Conference, organized by Innovative Publishing and Food Safety Tech, was held in conjunction with Pittcon. The organizers of both events were pleased with this year’s success and are looking forward to expanding the relationship in 2015.

Marian Nardozzi, Pittcon’s marketing specialist commented, “Pittcon continues to expand into food science and offers a significant amount of innovations and technical sessions relevant to methodologies used in this industry. We believe that the co-location of Food Labs is a perfect complement and adds a tremendous amount of value for attendees.” She added, “We are looking forward to further developing this relationship in the future.”

“Rick Biros, president of Innovative Publishing and publisher of Food Safety Tech added, "The benefits to the attendees and sponsors of co-locating the Food Labs Conference within Pittcon are tremendous.  After a very successful 2013 Food Labs Conference, we (Food Safety Tech) are very excited to be working with Pittcon again."

Global Attendance Remains Strong

Pittcon has always had a strong global presence, and 2014 was no exception with 26% 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.

Exposition

The dynamic exposition floor consisted of 935 exhibitors from 32 countries occupying 1,763 booths displaying the latest innovations in instrumentation and technology used in laboratory science. This year, we welcomed 119 first-time exhibitors. There were two specialized areas on the floor — 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. Scott Kuzdzal, Ph.D. from Shimadzu Scientific Instruments commented, “Each year, Pittcon brings the world of analytical instrumentation to life, totally immersing attendees in a dynamic scientific exposition with exceptional technical programs and an exhibition area that encourages interaction and networking.”

Robust Technical Program Offers Multiple Educational Opportunities

Pittcon offered more than 2,000 technical sessions presented in 73 symposia, 10 awards, 84 oral sessions, 4 workshops and 51 posters. Approximately 40% of the presentations focused on life science topics.

The Wallace H. Coulter Plenary Lecture, presented by Steven A. Carr, Director of Proteomics at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard was attended to a capacity audience followed by a complimentary mixer.

The 31 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.

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, 116 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 1,300 participants.

The 2014 Short Course Chairman Joe Grabowski remarked, “There’s much more value to taking a Short Course than the educational experience and the honing of current skills.. .[short courses] offer a unique opportunity to expand one’s network of scientific resources by providing a venue to interact with colleagues from all over the world working in many different fields.”

Miscellaneous Information

• 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 students through the exciting process of experimentation and discovery. Teacher workshops supported by school equipment grants were available for elementary, middle and high school teachers in the Chicago area. Lee Marek conducted the highly educational yet entertaining lecture/demo, “Weird Science on Fuels and Energy” to a crowd of nearly 1,000 high school students.

• The 2013/2014 Exhibitor Distributor Networking posted 419 participants collectively from Pittcon, JSIA, and BCEIA conferences. 

Pittcon Recognizes Program Resource Team

In 2013, the Pittcon Organizing Committee formed a Program Resource Team. The purpose of this team is to collaborate with Pittcon to further develop the technical program. The Team, consists of experts in the fields of pharmaceutical science, nanotechnology, and food science.and each member organized a symposium for the 2014 Technical Program relevant to their field  of expertise.

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 NutritionU.S. Food and Drug Administration
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

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