All News


Bivalves, such as clams, frequently are used as bioindicators to assess coastal aquatic environments because they can accumulate trace metals and other substances-up to 100 times higher than the concentration levels found in the water in which they live, including elements such as chromium, lead, arsenic, and cadmium, which can be toxic even at low concentrations. Given that many bivalves are consumed by people, this bio-accumulation presents food safety as well as environmental risks.

Spectro Scientific (Chelmsford, Massachusetts), a developer and manufacturer of analytical tools and software for fluid and machine condition monitoring, has earned a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II award of $750,000 for its work in reevaluating the Joint Oil Analysis Program (JOAP) that consolidates and coordinates the oil analysis programs of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Agilent Technologies (Santa Clara, California) has awarded an Agilent Thought Leader Award to John A. McLean, who is a Stevenson Professor of Chemistry at Vanderbilt University (Nashville, Tennessee).

RamanFest_web2-846825-1408521183536.jpg

Horiba Scientific?s second annual RamanFest conference was held June 12-13, 2014, in Boston, Massachusetts, in conjunction with Harvard University. The conference took place on the Harvard campus in the Pfizer auditorium. The event chairs were Professor Sunny Xie of Harvard University, Dr. Dan Fu of Harvard University, and Dr. Andrew Whitley of Horiba Scientific. The international, two-day conference featured 16 talks from many well-known scientists as well as 13 posters that were on display both days.

Spectris (Surrey, UK) - the parent company of PANalytical - has acquired the business and assets of the Canadian company La Corporation Scientifique Claisse Inc., a provider of sample preparation products for atomic spectroscopy (including X-ray) analysis.

Applications are invited for the 2015 Gordon F. Kirkbright Bursary Award, which enables a promising student or non-tenured young scientist of any nation to attend a recognized scientific meeting or visit a place of learning.

Carolyn Mountford, of the University of Newcastle (Australia) has received an Agilent Thought Leader Award in recognition of her innovative work using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy technology in cancer research.

The California Department of Public Health has proposed to establish the first regulatory limit in the United States for hexavalent chromium (chromium-6) in drinking water. The proposed Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) sets the limit for hexavalent chromium at 10 parts per billion. California, like those of other states and United States federal government, currently only regulates total chromium levels.

A study that addresses the need for analytical tools for identifying, characterizing, and setting up adequate conservation strategies for museum collections that contain plastics was completed within the framework of two research projects dealing with the conservation of contemporary artworks.

Anasys Instruments Corporation (Santa Barbara, California) has licensed a Department of Energy Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) (Oak Ridge, Tennessee) nanoscale mass spectrometry imaging technology that allows for simultaneous chemical and physical characterization and could lead to advances in materials and drug development.