2014 Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry, Amelia Island, Florida, January 6–11, 2014

As the eighteenth gathering in its 34 year history, the 2014 Winter Conference not only explored a new venue (the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort) but the program defined advances in plasma spectrochemistry from sample introduction and laser-assisted spectrometry to speciation, metabolomics, and ecogeochemistry through twelve topical symposia, four workshops, four poster sessions, and a three-day exhibition during the week-long meeting. More than 500 participants braved some of the worst weather and travel conditions in North America in years to convene in northern Florida during a near-record cold spell. Most felt it was worthwhile, however, and by the end of the conference the weather had warmed, so that many were happy with early morning walks along the Atlantic Ocean beaches.

For the third time since they were introduced in 2010, heritage lectures were the climax of the program. Six distinguished senior researchers and developers related many of their career achievements, goals, and insights to an enthusiastic audience (Table 1). Applied Spectra, Burgener Research, Glass Expansion, PerkinElmer, and Spectron sponsored these lectures, and Les Ebdon, Detlef Günther, Barry Sharp, Érico Flores, Gary M. Hieftje, and Yngvar Thomassen moderated the sessions.

Table 1 Heritage Lectures

• Back to the Future, Barry L. Sharp, Loughborough University

• Lasers at Work in Atomic Spectroscopy: A Long Flaming and Sparking Combination of Diagnostic and Analytical Aspects, Nicoló Omenetto, University of Florida

• High Power or Low Power; Reflections on a Plasma Spectrochemical Controversy and Some Professional Lessons Learnt, Les Ebdon, University of Bedfordshire

• Make Big Plans – Aim High in Hope and Work, Michael J. Collins, CEM Corporation

• Observations on Commercial Analytical Instrumentation Development, Andrew T. Zander, Torrance, California

• Spectroscopic Imaging from Macro to Nano: A Spatial Odyssey, Freddy Adams, University of Antwerp

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Les Ebdon reflected on Barry Sharp's lecture, “It was therefore highly appropriate that Barry should make his seminal work on sample introduction the centre of his lecture.” He continued, “The versatile and virtually unblockable cone-spray nebulizer was the outcome of Barry's particular flair for combining rigorous theoretical studies, ferocious surveys of existing literature, not only in analytical spectrochemistry but other fundamental areas such as aeronautical science, and innovative design. We were reminded of the applications and amazing range of this ingenious device. We were also treated to an explanation of what goes on in our spray chambers and saw how it is not always as predicted by the famous equations we learn in graduate school.” Ebdon added, “Barry has also made substantial contributions on the use of lasers in analysis… This expertise with lasers and with ICPMS he is now using in a variety of studies of cancer, using high-speed laser ablation with a specially designed cell for solid sampling.”

Hieftje observed, “The heritage lectures have become some of the most interesting and important aspects of the biennial Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry; they feature prominent scientists, provide a broad perspective, and often constitute an appropriate capstone to a stellar career. They are extremely well attended and elicit favorable comments and thoughtful discussion.” He continued, “The Heritage Lecture by Andy Zander was no exception to this trend. Zander has held a number of prominent posts…, has been responsible for several developments in instruments for plasma spectrochemistry that have enjoyed market success, and has studied the relationship between innovation and that success… Zander drew from his own experiences, advice and counsel from mentors, and the business literature to offer insight on what makes a product or approach successful.”

The Winter Conference Award in Plasma Spectroscopy, sponsored by Thermo Scientific, was presented to Professor Gary M. Hieftje by Lothar Rottmann, and a 1-day award symposium featuring breakthroughs in modern instrumentation followed. In his award lecture Hieftje chronicled the history and progress in plasma spectrochemistry. José Broekaert recalled, “After the award ceremony Professor Hieftje held a brilliant plenary lecture. In this lecture he showed the milestones in the development of analytical chemical instrumentation and here mentioned the names of pioneers in the field not only in academia but also in the different manufacturing companies who developed and brought instrumentation on the market from the 1900's up to date. Also the prophetic look into the future of analytical spectroscopy instrumentation gave the lecture an extremely stimulating character.”

Five other exceptional plenary lectures opened the daily symposia (Table 2), which featured 36 invited lectures and more than 50 contributed presentations. Frank Vanhaecke recalled, “A plenary lecture by Thomas Prohaska from Vienna on the use of non-traditional isotope systems in ecogeochemistry provided a comprehensive overview, addressing all isotope systems researchers can rely on and used examples from the literature and his own work for illustrating their use in various types of real-life applications.”

Table 2 Plenary Lectures

• Ambient Surface Sampling/Ionization Mass Spectrometry, Gary Van Berkel, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

• LIBS as an Analytical Method – Facts, Figures, and High Hopes, Ulrich Panne, BAM – Federal Institute for Materials Research, and Testing

• Advances in Instrumentation and Methods for Plasma Spectrochemistry; 2014 Winter Conference Award in Plasma Spectroscopy, Gary M. Hieftje et al., Indiana University

• Arsenic Binding to Cellular Proteins, X. Chris Le et al., University of Alberta

• Application of Non Traditional Isotopes in Analytical Ecogeochemistry, Thomas Prohaska et al., University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences

• Applications of Quantitative, In Situ, Plasma Spectrochemical Analysis in Mineral Exploration Geochemistry, Simon E. Jackson et al., Geological Survey of Canada

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Hieftje chaired the laser symposium and commented, “Ulrich Panne… did an outstanding job of assessing the current state of research and application of LIBS and added a refreshing level of objectivity to a field whose proponents are sometimes too exuberant”. He further noted, “Overall, the Winter Conference session on Laser-Assisted Plasma Spectrochemistry and LIBS was an interesting and lively one, with a better balance than has been seen in some past years between fundamental and applied investigations. It is clear that laser ablation and LIBS have both moved into the realm of routine, robust tools for elemental and molecular analysis, and that new uses and approaches continue to be introduced. It will be interesting to see these developments between now and the next Winter Conference”.

Four afternoon workshops (Table 3) complimented the symposia and focused on techniques and methodology in developing areas. According to Gary Meyer, “The theme for this workshop session [on new plasma instrumentation] appeared to center around tools that were smaller, faster, and have a broader range of capabilities”.

Table 3 Symposia and Workshops

Symposia

• Sample Introduction and Transport Phenomena, John Olesik, Chair

• Nanomaterial Analysis and Characterization, Petra Krystek, James F. Ranville, Chairs

• Laser Assisted Plasma Spectrochemistry, Gary Hieftje, Barry Sharp, Chairmen

• Plasma Fundamentals, Instrumentation, and Mechanisms [2014 Winter Conference Award in Plasma Spectroscopy Symposium], David W. Koppenaal, Paul B. Farnsworth, Chairmen

• Speciation, Metallomics, and Biodistribution Analysis, Joseph A. Caruso, Heidi Goenaga-Infante, Chairs

• Environmental and Biological Materials Analysis, Frank Vanhaecke, Chair

• Stable Isotope and Forensic Analysis, Klaus Heumann, Chair

• Marine and Geochemical Materials Analysis, Henry Longerich, Chair

• Advanced Materials, Surface and Interface Analysis, Norbert Jakubowski, Chair

Workshops

• New Plasma Instrumentation, Gary Meyer, Chair

• Biological and Clinical Sample Methodology, Patrick Parsons, Chair

• Speciation and Metallomics Methodology, Maria Montes-Bayón, Chair

• Stable Isotope and Forensic Methodology, Martin Resano, Chair

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The concentrated program also featured 180 poster presentations in four afternoon sessions. Outstanding poster authors received book awards from Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, CRC Press/Taylor and Francis, Royal Society of Chemistry, and John Wiley & Sons. The best student poster author received the Elena N. Dodova Memorial prize commemorative of the young scientist from CDC who passed away in August 2013. More than 325 papers were presented in total, and the accepted, refereed articles in this issue represent them.

Finally, a significant exhibition filled the newly constructed Magnolia Ballroom with almost 60 booths and 45 companies and organizations. John Burgener, of Burgener Research, challenged everyone with his after conference dinner talk “Viewing Earth in a Different Light: Recognizing Massive Impact Craters on Earth or Earth is Going to Be Demolished by a Comet in the Next 50 Years or So. It's Time to Move to Mars”. Agilent Technologies, Meinhard, PerkinElmer, and Thermo Scientific also hosted special events.

Over three days before the meeting, experts in plasma spectrochemical analysis and techniques, spectrochemical instrumentation, and sample introduction approaches presented 41 popular, half-day training courses.

With increasing numbers of specialty meetings dedicated to developing topics related to plasma spectrochemistry (e.g., environmental forensics, geochronology, glow discharge spectrometry, laser induced breakdown spectroscopy, nanomaterial characterization, speciation and metallomics), one might think that the Winter Conference has passed it prime. However, the vitality of the program and enthusiasm of the participants confirmed that the Winter Conference fulfils its goals and exceeds expectations to promote and document the significant progress in spectroanalytical chemistry.

According to Petra Krystek, “Since 2010 a symposium on ‘Nanomaterial Analysis and Characterization’ has been added to the program, and particularly during the conference in 2014, lectures and poster presentations covered fundamental detection methods and a variety of applications… more analytical approaches are needed to characterize and analyze nanoparticles in a variety of matrices. Especially new developments in the technical field of ICPMS fit well with this research. The most relevant aspects are the single particle (sp) ICPMS possibilities and further developments with hyphenated techniques like field-flow-fractionation (FFF) coupled to ICPMS.”

The 2016 Winter Conference is scheduled to return to Tucson, Arizona, January 10–16, and in the meantime the 16th European Winter Conference will be held in Münster, Germany, February 22–26, 2015, and the Sixth Asia-Pacific Winter Conference will convene in Xiamen, China, May 19–22, 2015. For updates, visit http://icpinformation.org.

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