Practical Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy for the Real World: Symposium Honoring the Late Paul A. Wilks Jr

This Tuesday afternoon session will honor Paul A. Wilks Jr., an expert in infrared spectroscopy, former member of Spectroscopy's Editorial Advisory Board, and founder of five different companies throughout the course of his life. The session will also address recent developments in infrared spectroscopy and its future as a technique.

The first presentation in this session will honor Wilks and his many accomplishments, including his company Wilks Scientific. Anthony Gilby, retiree from Waters Corporation, will present historical material honoring Wilks’ legacy in his talk “The Wilks Scientific Years – How Does a Small Company Find and Hit the Jackpot?”

Following Gilby’s presentation will be “Does FT-IR Have a Future?” given by Peter Griffiths of the University of Idaho. Griffiths will offer predictions on the future of hand-held IR instruments. In the final part of this talk, Griffiths will address the question of whether infrared spectrometers be made even smaller through the application of quantum cascade lasers.

Next will be a presentation from Andre Sommer of the University of Miami, “Evanescent Wave Imaging:From Large Unconvetional Samples to Single Cells.” This presentation will focus on the major developments in ATR spectroscopy since the 1960’s and highlight some of Wilks’ innovations in the method.

“Why Infrared Expertise Matters in Today’s Turnkey World,” is the next presentation and will be given by Gloria Story of P&G. Story will share a real-life story, in honor of Wilks, that lends support to the idea that providing training in the fundamentals of infrared spectroscopy should be a part of every analytical chemistry educational program.

The final presentation of this session will be given by Christopher D. Brown of Ahura Scientific and is titled “Design and practical applications for full-capability pocket FTIRs.” Brown will discuss handheld FT mid-infrared (FTIR) spectrometers and illustrate facets of this portability paradox through topics in device design, and some examination of applications in food and industrial processing, and safety/security.