Best of the Week: Produced Waters in the Bakken Formation, Characterizing Carbon Nanotubes

Preparing students for careers in analytical spectroscopy starts at the university level, where hands-on learning and working with modern scientific instrumentation take center stage. A recent “Pathways in Spectroscopy” clip elaborates on this concept. Also, the ACS Fall 2026 Meeting is coming up in August, and one talk at this conference will discuss tracing lithium in produced waters from North Dakota’s Bakken Formation. And finally, a new “Focus on Quality” column explains how regulated laboratories can reduce User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for configurable spectrometer software by thoroughly assessing a supplier’s software development and quality management processes.

This is the Best of the Week.

First up, in a new “Pathways in Spectroscopy” interview, Mary Kate Donais of Saint Anselm College makes the case for hands-on learning in analytical science programs. Her point is simple but important—not every undergraduate program has access to the high-end instrumentation you'd find at a major research university or industry laboratory.¹ But that's okay, because what really matters is teaching the fundamentals. When students understand the underlying principles of spectroscopy, they can adapt to whatever instrument lands in front of them later in their careers.¹

Next, we're looking ahead to the ACS Fall 2026 Meeting in August. One talk worth flagging: Anthony Chappez of Central Michigan University will present on tracing lithium in produced waters from North Dakota's Bakken Formation. Using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and lithium isotope analysis, his team is working to link dissolved lithium back to specific geological sources.² That could be a big deal for lithium resource evaluation, more efficient recovery, and even reducing unnecessary drilling.²

And finally, our newest “Focus on Quality” column tackles a practical question for regulated laboratories: how do you leverage a supplier's software development process to ease your own validation burden? The answer involves auditing things like Agile development practices, regression testing, continuous integration, and requirements traceability rather than just taking a vendor's certification at face value. When it is done right, a risk-based supplier assessment can meaningfully cut down on User Acceptance Testing while keeping laboratories compliant.

And that’ll do it for Best of the Week. Thanks for reading, thanks for watching, and we’ll see you next week.

References

1. Donais, M. K. The Importance of Hands-On Learning. Spectroscopy Online, 2026. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/the-importance-of-hands-on-learning (accessed July 23, 2026).
2. Wetzel, W.; Spectroscopy Staff. Is Produced Water a Source of Lithium? Spectroscopy Online, 2026. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/is-produced-water-a-source-of-lithium (accessed July 23, 2026).
3. Lotfinia, M.; McDowall, R. D. How Do I Leverage a Supplier’s Software Development in my Spectrometer Validation? Spectroscopy 2026, 41 (4), ASAP. Available at: https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/how-do-i-leverage-a-supplier-s-software-development-in-my-spectrometer-validation-
4. Babu, T. From Single-Technique Analysis to Multimodal Characterization: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives for Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene. Spectroscopy Online, 2026. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/from-single-technique-analysis-to-multimodal-characterization-recent-advances-and-future-perspectives-for-carbon-nanotubes-and-graphene (accessed July 23, 2026).