Will Wetzel

Articles by Will Wetzel

Robert Jones delivers his Heritage Lecture at the Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry. | Photo Credit: © Will Wetzel

At the Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry, Robert L. Jones, who recently retired from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), discussed his career at the CDC, and how his work with inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) assisted in addressing pivotal public health crises.

Lake Tahoe Cove Aqua Blue | Image Credit: © davyladd - stock.adobe.com

Monica Arienzo, an associate research professor in the Division of Hydrologic Sciences at the Desert Research Institute, and her team recently used ATR-FT-IR to determine the polymer composition of plastic litter recovered by scuba divers from the lakebed of Lake Tahoe. Spectroscopy spoke to Arienzo about the significance of her work and how spectroscopy can be used to help monitor plastic litter in the environment.

DNA molecules | Image Credit: © vitstudio - stock.adobe.com

Bruno Pagano, full Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Naples Federico II (Italy), and his team have turned to UV resonance Raman (UVRR) spectroscopy to better understand these interactions. Spectroscopy spoke to Prof. Pagano about his work and the potential of UVRR spectroscopy as a valuable tool for studying G-quadruplex structures in biologically relevant conditions.

Abstract scientific image, glowing exoplanets in deep space on background of spiral galaxy. Exoplanet or extrasolar planet is planet outside Solar System. | Image Credit: © IgorZh - stock.adobe.com

The study of exoplanets, or planets outside of our solar system, is becoming increasingly important in space exploration. Scientists are working to characterize these planets and Raman spectroscopy is playing a key role. Andrew Mattioda, a research scientist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center, is on the front lines of this research.

Professor Martin Zanni, the Meloche-Bascom Professor of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his colleagues explored how to resolve diagonal peaks using a polarization scheme that can be implemented in pump-probe beam geometry—not only in two-dimensional infrared (2D-IR) spectroscopy but also in TA spectroscopy. Zanni is the 2022 recipient of the Ellis R. Lippincott Award. This interview is part of an ongoing series of interviews with the winners of awards that are presented at the annual SciX conference, which will be held this year from October 2 through October 7, in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area.