At Pittcon 2026 in San Antonio, Texas, the LCGC International Awards Session was held on Tuesday, March 10, from 1:30 PM to 4:40 PM. This session, presided by Jerome Workman, Jr., celebrated two distinguished scientists whose work has significantly influenced modern separation science. This annual session honors both a lifetime of achievement and the promise of emerging leadership in chromatography. In its nineteenth year, the program recognized Jack Henion with the LCGC Lifetime Achievement Award and Bob W. J. Pirok with the LCGC Emerging Leader in Chromatography Award.

Micro-infrared spectroscopy was used by researchers to characterize microplastics in China’s Minjiang River and Tuojiang River. Concentrations ranged from 5.0–18.2 items/L, with shifting polymer compositions between 2021 and 2023. Polymer-specific risk indices highlighted evolving ecological threats and the need for long-term spectroscopic monitoring.

The Pittcon (Pittsburgh) Conference and Expo in San Antonio featured a forward-looking symposium exploring how generative artificial intelligence (AI) may transform the daily practice of analytical chemistry. The James L. Waters Symposium, “Generative AI in the Analytical Chemist’s Toolbox for Chemical Measurements”, took place on Monday, March 9, 2026 (2:30–4:40 p.m.) in Room 221A. The session was presided over by Daniel W. Armstrong of The University of Texas at Arlington, who introduced the topic by emphasizing the rapidly expanding knowledge base required of modern analytical chemists. In addition to chemistry, today’s analytical scientist must command elements of physics, advanced mathematics, data science, and, increasingly, AI. The symposium focused on the practical integration of generative AI tools into chemical measurement science. Speakers discussed how AI can assist analytical chemists with tasks such as algorithm generation, signal processing, literature synthesis, and data interpretation. Importantly, the session emphasized responsible implementation, highlighting the need for rigorous validation, high-quality data sets, and integration into existing laboratory workflows.

This overview of nearfield spectroscopy highlights how this technique operates and when it should be used.

At the Pittcon Conference and Expo in Saan Antonio, Texas, on Monday, March 9, 2026 (8:30–11:00 AM, Room 304C), the session “Spectroscopy and Sustainability: A Perfect Match” explored how modern spectroscopic technologies are helping laboratories and industries operate more efficiently while reducing environmental impact. Chaired by John Wasylyk and sponsored by the Society for Applied Spectroscopy, the session brought together 6 presentations covering applications from pharmaceutical process monitoring and biomedical diagnostics to chemical manufacturing, defense, and remote sensing. Throughout the morning, a consistent theme emerged: spectroscopy’s speed, nondestructive nature, and rich chemical information make it inherently aligned with the goals of sustainability.

The 2024-2026 period has been marked by rapid methodological innovation and critical reassessment of established atomic spectrometric techniques in environmental analysis. Advances in inductively coupled plasma–tandem mass spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS) reaction-cell chemistry, matrix-effect correction in X-ray fluorescence (XRF), microwave-sustained plasma sources, and green preconcentration strategies have expanded analytical capabilities for soils, waters, sediments, plants, and atmospheric particulates. Simultaneously, comparative evaluations of inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), and XRF have sharpened our understanding of detection limits, bias, and field applicability. This brief review highlights 10 of the most influential publications shaping environmental applications of XRF, ICP-MS, and ICP-OES during 2024–2026. Each paper is discussed with emphasis on its technical contributions and broader impact on environmental monitoring, regulatory science, and instrumental development.

As part of our coverage of the Pittcon 2026 conference, Spectroscopy sat down with Seth Kenkel to talk about his work using nearfield infrared (IR) spectroscopy.

A recent study used minimally invasive synchrotron and spectroscopic techniques to fully characterize the materials, degradation processes, and conservation needs of a 26th Dynasty Ptah–Sokar–Osiris wooden statuette from Giza, establishing technical baselines for Saite workshop practices and future preservation of polychrome artifacts.

Using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy, a research team identified sex- and age-specific molecular alterations in red blood cells from diabetic mice.In the first of a three-part series, Spectroscopy spoke to members of the research team (including Katarzyna M. Marzec and Natalia Wilkosz, corresponding authors of the resulting paper) about how FT-IR differentiates α-helix, β-sheet, and β-turn structures in RBC membrane proteins through analysis of the Amide I and Amide II bands—enhanced by second-derivative processing to reveal subtle protein misfolding in T2DM—while its complementary use with Raman spectroscopy provides a more comprehensive molecular assessment of protein conformation, lipid remodeling, and oxidative stress–induced membrane alterations.

Top articles published this week include a couple previews of upcoming “Pathways in Spectroscopy” episodes and an inside look at the role spectroscopy is playing in modern agriculture.

Interested in learning more about ultraviolet–visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy at Pittcon? The Spectroscopy editorial staff has you covered!

In this overview, we explore how spectroscopy is advancing the agriculture industry.

A continuation of our recap of a recent study published in Microchemical Journal highlights the implications of how Raman spectroscopy can help analyze ancient DNA remains.

Space-based monitoring platforms are transitioning from development to early operations. This article highlights a latest announcement from EarthDaily that spotlights a recent success on this front.

In an upcoming multipart interview on "Pathways in Spectroscopy," Ayush Agarwal will discuss his transition from chemical engineering to analytical chemistry.

A recent study shows that non-destructive Raman spectroscopy measurements of protein-to-mineral ratios in ancient teeth can accurately predict endogenous DNA preservation, enabling archaeologists to pre-screen specimens and avoid unnecessary destructive sampling.

Between 2024 and 2026, environmental applications of vibrational spectroscopy advanced rapidly through innovations in multimodal instrumentation (combining 2 or more distinct measurement techniques), spectral data fusion, portable sensing technologies, and the integration of chemometrics and machine learning (ML). Near-infrared (NIR), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy were increasingly deployed to address pressing environmental challenges such as microplastics contamination, soil organic matter quantification, indoor air quality monitoring, and pesticide residue detection in food and ecological systems. This article reviews 10 influential peer-reviewed papers published during this period, providing expanded narrative discussions of their technical contributions and explaining why each paper represents a significant impact on the field.

In an upcoming multipart interview on "Pathways in Spectroscopy," Saikat Banerjee will discuss his background in spectroscopy and how it led him to his current position as an analytical laboratory manager at DuPont.

Previous “Focus on Quality” columns focused on analytical instrument qualification (AIQ) and computerized system validation (CSV). In this tutorial, we explore the critical frameworks of AIQ and CSV.

In this episode, John Margeson, who is a Product Manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific in their Tewkesbury headquarters, discusses the skills and qualifications necessary in order to be a successful product manager for an instrument manufacturer.

This brief tutorial offers an overview of Raman spectroscopy and the scientist responsible for discovering this technique.

Top articles published this week include a couple new “Pathways in Spectroscopy” episodes, an interview with JAAS Prize and Nu Emerging Pioneer award winner David Clases, and a blog post that explores how early scientific ambitions translate to building a career in spectroscopy.

Researchers at Jiangsu University of Science and Technology showed that FT-IR spectroscopy combined with optimized chemometric modeling can rapidly and accurately detect and stage Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus infection in silkworms.

In a recent press release, CEA-Leti announced that a team of researchers from their institution and CEA-IRIG validated what they describe as the first chip-scale, battery-operated electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometer.

A recent review article explores how machine learning (ML)-assisted Raman spectral classification is being used in applications such as biomedicine and material analysis.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are rapidly reshaping how analytical data are modeled, interpreted, and deployed, but the conceptual foundation is already familiar to practitioners of chemometrics. Latent variables, calibration models, variance–bias tradeoffs, and multivariate optimization did not originate with neural networks; they have been central to spectroscopic data analysis for decades. This expanded glossary provides a rigorous, side-by-side translation between modern artificial intelligence (AI) terminology and established chemometric concepts. This glossary is intended to demystify AI terminology, while preserving statistical clarity. It is designed to help analytical scientists, spectroscopists, and chemometricians engage with modern data-driven methods without abandoning physical interpretability or statistical discipline.

A recent study presented an approach combining Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) imaging spectroscopy, histology, and statistical analysis that can identify biochemical spectral markers and distinguish benign from malignant uterine smooth muscle tumors.

Spectroscopy is seeing several important changes in the industry. In this feature, we focus on four topics that have emerged.