How has spectroscopy training changed? A recent panel discussion explored this topic, discussing how SpecAcademy can widen access without losing the value of hands-on instruction.
|Articles|September 17, 2008
LIBS for Geological Study
Researchers from New Mexico State University (Las Cruces, New Mexico) have replaced the standard rock identification tools of field geologists with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS).
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Researchers from New Mexico State University (NMSU) (Las Cruces, New Mexico) have replaced the standard rock identification tools of field geologists with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The technique involves virtually no sample preparation and results are instantaneous. In addition, LIBS is now portable, and requires only an electric generator to operate in the field.LIBS allows for conclusive testing to be done on tiny amounts of material, thereby limiting the damage to precious stones and archaeological materials such as paint.
Nancy McMillan, department head and professor of geology at NMSU, said that while many universities are currently using LIBS, only a few geology departments are using it to study Earth materials. And with future applications of LIBS growing, "The students are positioning themselves for exciting jobs as this technology hits geoscience industries and they are the people in their generation that are already trained," McMillan said.
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How has spectroscopy education evolved over the years?
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.
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.
A recent roundtable discussion with the SpecAcademy instructors explored why spectroscopy expertise has eroded and how SpecAcademy aims to rebuild it.
The agreement gives North American customers a stocked, domestic source for InGaAs PIN photodiodes and avalanche photodiodes from the Scottish manufacturer.
The gap between classroom training and industry practice is pushing analysts toward familiar techniques instead of the most appropriate ones.
Panelists from the Society for Applied Spectroscopy, the Coblentz Society, Syensqo, Specac, and the University of Georgia discuss how a mismatch between academic curricula and industry practice leaves many analysts unsure when, and how, to use infrared and Raman spectroscopy.
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