From the Publisher: Timing is Everything

This edition of Spectroscopy's Application Notebook should be reaching all of our loyal readers and advertisers just in time for what is easily the biggest event of the year: Pittcon. Held in Chicago, Illinois, for the third time in the last six years, Pittcon 2009 promises to be just as important and critical as ever before, with organizers still expecting to have 20,000 attendees, even with the highly publicized economic conditions being what they are. As one conference-goer put it: "If you were going to go to one event this year, it would still be Pittcon."

Michael J. Tessalone

Among other things, Pittcon still affords attendees that unique opportunity to meet and network with all of your colleagues and business associates in one place, in person. The chance to have everyone you might e-mail or call on the phone in one place makes this conference critical to the field of analytical chemistry, and for this reason, we are looking forward to this year's conference and the opportunity to meet as many old friends as possible and make as many new ones as possible.

Edward Fantuzzi

And as usual, Spectroscopy will not simply be a spectator at Pittcon, as we have a great many new products to offer as well. Our e-newsletter coverage will be expanding significantly, to include more targeted coverage of the topics and events our readers demand. With newsletters aimed at homeland security readers coinciding with the Defense, Security, and Sensing Conference in April; aimed at the laser and optics readers coinciding with the CLEO/QELS Conference in June; and again aimed at our laser and optics readers coinciding with the Optics and Photonics Conference in August, this year promises to expand our industry-leading digital coverage even further.

Please feel free to stop by our booth (#2357) to discuss any of our newest products or just to say hello. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this issue, which our staff has worked so hard to put together for you.

See you in Chicago.

Michael J. Tessalone

Science Group Publisher

mtessalone@advanstar.com

Edward Fantuzzi

Publisher

efantuzzi@advanstar.com