SPEC PerkinElmer 10.13
|Articles|November 23, 2015

John Reffner Receives Gold Medal Award from the New York Section of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy

John A. Reffner has been named the recipient of the 2015 Gold Medal Award from the New York section of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy. The award was presented to him at the 2015 Eastern Analytical Symposium in Somerset, New Jersey, on November 16.

 

 

John A. Reffner has been named the recipient of the 2015 Gold Medal Award from the New York section of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy. The award was presented to him at the 2015 Eastern Analytical Symposium in Somerset, New Jersey, on November 16.

Reffner is currently a professor of forensic science at John Jay College in New York, New York, which is part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system. His scientific interests are focused on uniting microscopy with spectroscopy and applying novel technologies to advancing materials and forensic science. 

Jay pioneered the development of infrared microspectrometers, accessories, and innovative applications infrared microprobe technology. Reffner’s scientific accomplishments are recognized by his receiving numerous awards, including the American Academy of Forensic Sciences’ Paul L. Kirk Award (2004), the New York Microscopical Society’s Abbe Memorial Award (2002), the Georgia Microscopical Society’s Honorary Achievement Award (2002), the Coblentz Society’s Williams-Wright Award (2000), and the Illinois State Microscopical Society’s Emile M. Chamot Award (1993). In 2011, Dr. Reffner was named a Fellow of the Society of Applied Spectroscopy. 

Reffner has authored more than 80 papers and four book chapters, and holds 10 patents.  He served as a consultant to the Connecticut State Police for over 25 years, and testified as an expert witness in criminal, civil, and patent litigations.


Related to this article

Infrared Reimagined: How FT-IR Spectroscopy Learned to Read Molecules, ©  Luis Eduardo  -chronicles-stock.adobe.com
FT-IR spectroscopy, long treated as a mature bench technique for confirming a carbonyl stretch or fingerprinting a polymer, has quietly become one of chemistry’s most versatile discovery engines: it now infers molecular structure straight from a spectrum without a reference library, resolves chemistry tens of nanometers wide, and screens a fingerstick of blood for disease in minutes. The last five years of published research show FT-IR moving from a confirmatory tool into a predictive, autonomous, and field-ready analytical platform.
The Ongoing Decline of Spectroscopy Expertise
In this panel discussion, five SpecAcademy instructors examined why spectroscopy expertise has declined and how SpecAcademy aims to rebuild it through curated, fundamentals-based education suited to increasingly complex analytical work.