What Atomic Spectroscopy Sessions Should You Attend at Pittcon?

At Pittcon this year, which will take place at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, in San Antonio, Texas, there will be several talks and sessions dedicated to atomic spectroscopy techniques and applications. In this article, we highlight some of these sessions happening throughout the conference.

First, from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm on Monday March 9th, Sergei Leikin of Texas Scientific Products will lead a workshop titled, “Optimizing ICP Performance: Innovative Nebulization for Reliable and Efficient Operation.”¹ This workshop will highlight recent advances in inductively coupled plasma (ICP) nebulization technology designed to improve efficiency and reliability when analyzing challenging sample matrices. Experienced users of next-generation nebulizers will share practical, hands-on insights and foster peer discussion to help attendees optimize real-world ICP analytical performance.¹

In the afternoon, from 2:30 pm to 4:40 pm on March 9th, R. Kenneth Marcus, a professor at Clemson University, will be chairing an oral session titled, “Atomic Spectroscopy: Beyond the ICP.”² This session will comprise of four talks, with the speakers being Marcus, Hunter Andrews of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Steven Ray of the University at Buffalo, and Gerardo Gamez of Texas Tech University. Their talks will highlight how atomic spectroscopy techniques are evolving in this new era of analytical technology. New advances in microwave plasmas, glow discharge spectrometry, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), and LS-APGD–orbital ion trap MS will be some of the techniques discussed in this session.²

From 2:50 pm to 3:10 pm in Room 305 on March 9th, Chadiska Pascal of the University of New Orleans will deliver a talk titled, “Light Induced Mobilization of Heavy Metals from Tire Wear Particles in Aquatic Environments.”³ Pascal’s talk will examine how sunlight influences the release of trace metals from tire wear particles (TWPs) in aquatic environments. Using ICP-QQQ, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and DOC analysis across freshwater and saline matrices, Pascal will explain how her study determined that zinc and copper are preferentially mobilized under light exposure, while other metals remain largely bound, highlighting environmental controls such as salinity and organic matter on TWP-derived metal leaching and associated water-quality risks.³

Then, from 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm in Room 305 on March 9th, Ross Coenen of Elemental Scientific Lasers will lead an oral session titled, “High-Throughput Solid Sample ICP-MS for Direct Analysis of Difficult-to-Dissolve Materials.”⁴ Coenen’s talk will present the SolidSample ICP-MS system, which enables direct solid analysis without acid digestion, minimizing preparation time, contamination risk, and waste.⁴ Automated handling with reusable matrix-matched solid standards supports high-throughput, quantitative multielement measurements across challenging materials such as battery cathodes, rare earth ores, and foods, delivering strong agreement with solution ICP-MS while improving speed, reproducibility, and laboratory efficiency.⁴

And finally, a talk delivered by Rajendra Joshi from Texas Tech University on Wednesday March 11^th will focus on nanoparticles being used in medicine for therapeutics. Joshi’s talk, titled, “Nanoparticle Uptake Study in Cancer Cells via Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectrometry Elemental Mapping,” will introduce a quantitative glow discharge optical emission spectrometry–elemental mapping (GDOES-EM) method to study nanoparticle–cell interactions.⁵ Using silver nanoparticles and HL-60 leukemia cells as a model, Joshi will explain how this approach delivers rapid, high-resolution elemental mapping with picogram sensitivity and minimal preparation, enabling high-throughput quantification of uptake versus exposure conditions.⁵ The results from this study were calibrated and validated against established techniques, supporting improved understanding of nanoparticle behavior and safer biomedical design.

References

1. Pittcon, Optimizing ICP Performance: Innovative Nebulization for Reliable and Efficient Operation. Pittcon. Available at: https://app.swapcard.com/event/pittcon-2026/planning/UGxhbm5pbmdfNDMwMzQzNQ== (accessed 2026-02-16).
2. Pittcon, Atomic Spectroscopy: Beyond the ICP. Pittcon. Available at: https://app.swapcard.com/event/pittcon-2026/planning/UGxhbm5pbmdfNDI4ODU2OQ== (accessed 2026-02-16).
3. Pittcon, Light Induced Mobilization of Heavy Metals from Tire Wear Particles in Aquatic Environments. Pittcon. Available at: https://app.swapcard.com/event/pittcon-2026/planning/UGxhbm5pbmdfNDMwNjQ3NA== (accessed 2026-02-16).
4. Pittcon, High-Throughput Solid Sample ICP-MS for Direct Analysis of Difficult-to-Dissolve Materials. Pittcon. Available at: https://app.swapcard.com/event/pittcon-2026/planning/UGxhbm5pbmdfNDMwNjUwNw== (accessed 2026-02-16).
5. Pittcon, Nanoparticle Uptake Study in Cancer Cells via Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectrometry Elemental Mapping. Pittcon. Available at: https://app.swapcard.com/event/pittcon-2026/planning/UGxhbm5pbmdfNDMwNjUwNg== (accessed 2026-02-16).