short courses

Sunday, october 5

SAS 109: Practical Guide to Atomic Absorption and Emission Spectroscopy

Presented by: Dula Amarasiriwardena

This course will cover recent advances in analytical atomic spectroscopy, including flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS), inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), hydride generation (HG)-AAS, cold vapor(CV)-AAS, and graphite furnace AAS (GF-AAS). Course content includes fundamentals, theory, instrumentation, practice, troubleshooting hints, and common applications. We will also briefly discuss sample preparation methods available for spectrochemical analysis. Analytical merits and limitations of each method will be presented

Csas 101: Introduction to Infrared, Raman, and near infrared spectroscopy

Presented by: James de Haseth

This course will present the origins of spectral bands in Infrared, Raman, and NIR spectra. This will start with a discussion of fundamental molecular vibrations and where these are present in mid-infrared and Raman spectra and explain how overtone and combination bands can appear in the NIR as well as in mid-infrared and Raman spectra. Some direct guidelines will be presented to show which transitions are allowed. This will not be a theoretical discussion that involves mathematics or quantum mechanics, but rather an understanding of the physical phenomena that led to the development of the mathematical approaches. A key issue to the collection of good spectra is an understanding how spectrometers work. Such topics include instrument components, resolution, spectral range, measurement sensitivity, instrumental effects on spectral lineshape, instrument sources of errors, and effects of mathematical manipulation of spectra.

CSAS 113: Spectral interpretation of vibrational spectra

Presented by: Peter Larkin & Mary Carrabba

Infrared and Raman spectroscopy, NMR and Mass spectroscopy are essential techniques to elucidate chemical structure.   The success and popularity of NMR and mass spectroscopy have resulted in a general loss of institutional knowledge among most users of IR and Raman interpretation skills.  The ability to understand and identify functional groups by interpreting IR and Raman spectra is essential for successful use by end users of these vibrational spectroscopy techniques.

This two-day course provides an introduction to IR and Raman spectra.  The course content focuses on developing a fundamental understanding of group frequencies and how to apply this to determine molecular structure using both the IR and Raman spectra.  Lectures are supplemented with multiple well illustrated examples as well as in-class spectral problem sets under the guidance of highly experienced industrial spectroscopists.

monday, october 6

CSAS 104: How to select, configure, and optimize Raman spectrometer for your application: from theory to practice

Presented by: Alexander Rzhevskii

The purpose of this course is to familiarize a wide circle of experimenters with the fundamentals and applications of modern Raman spectroscopic techniques with the focus to confocal Raman microscopy and imaging. The basics of Raman spectroscopy, instrumentation, principles of operation, and the main characteristics of Raman spectrometers and microscopes will be presented in the course. Examples of the application of Raman microscopy for the characterization of spatial structure, composition, and properties of “real world” samples and objects with the emphasis on nanomaterial, polymer, pharmaceutical, cellular, microorganism, plant, and food product studies will be provided

CSAS 113: Spectral interpretation of vibrational spectra

Presented by: Peter Larkin & Mary Carrabba

Infrared and Raman spectroscopy, NMR and Mass spectroscopy are essential techniques to elucidate chemical structure.   The success and popularity of NMR and mass spectroscopy have resulted in a general loss of institutional knowledge among most users of IR and Raman interpretation skills.  The ability to understand and identify functional groups by interpreting IR and Raman spectra is essential for successful use by end users of these vibrational spectroscopy techniques.

This two-day course provides an introduction to IR and Raman spectra.  The course content focuses on developing a fundamental understanding of group frequencies and how to apply this to determine molecular structure using both the IR and Raman spectra.  Lectures are supplemented with multiple well illustrated examples as well as in-class spectral problem sets under the guidance of highly experienced industrial spectroscopists.

CSAS 102: Spectral Searching

Presented by: James de Haseth

In a general sense, spectral searching is a simple operation. An unknown spectrum is presented to the search system software, the spectral databases are searched, and a result presented. This simple operation in no way explains how to optimize the process to arrive at the best, ideally the correct, identification. There is more than one search algorithm, so which one should be used? What if the unknown compound is not in the database? What if the unknown spectrum represents a mixture? How can we proceed to find these answers? This course will address these issues and more. Participants will be provided with a two-week trial copy of Wiley KnowItAll® Software to use during and after the course. It will not be possible to provide laptop computers for participants; therefore, the software will be made available to the participants shortly before the course so that it can be installed on a Microsoft Windows 10, or later, laptop computer.

CSAS 103: Collecting Infrared Spectra and Avoiding Pitfalls

Presented by: Ellen Miseo & Jeff D'agostino

Users of FT-IR spectrometers may have received little or no formal training in spectroscopy and therefore cannot distinguish between “good” and “bad” spectra.  In this course, we will show many of the problems that are commonly encountered with FT-IR spectra measured by inexperienced (and often experienced!) users and show how to avoid them.

tuesday, october 7

CSAS 118: Technologies and applications for miniature optical spectrometers and spectroscopic sensors

Presented by: Richard Crocombe

In the past twenty years optical spectrometers have shrunk dramatically in size, giving us successively laboratory-portable, toaster-sized, instruments; cordless-drill-sized portable instruments for use in the field; and onto spectrometers the size of a computer mouse or deck of cards.  The latest development in portable spectroscopy is the availability of very low-cost multispectral sensors, the size of computer chips, leading to the possibility of embedding them into consumer goods.

Multispectral sensors can now not only be incorporated into ‘white goods’ like washing machines and dryers, but also into ‘fitness’ products like smart watches and sports watches, and as photonic miniaturization increases, into ‘wearables’ like smart rings, providing the user with health information. A variety of photonic components and technologies can be utilized for these miniature devices including silicon photonics and photonic integrated circuits (PICs), produced en masse using semiconductor manufacturing techniques; components from LiDAR including SPAD arrays; electronically-tunable detectors; and ‘photonic’, ‘plasmonic’ and ‘computational’ devices. This course surveys technologies and applications for miniature optical spectrometers and spectroscopic sensors. 

SciX 136: Sample Selection Design of Experiments (DOE) for Multivariate Calibration  

Presented by: Art Hamfeldt & Michael Roberto

This course will cover the use of Design of Experiments (DOE) for sample selection for the development of multivariate calibration models. Matrixes are becoming more challenging as the desire to deploy spectroscopy has increased. Those new to building multivariate calibration models have a tendency to build oversampled models with samples that are completely overlapping between instruments, probes, and/or matrix solutions. The DOE approach discussed in this course can help identify the minimum number of samples required, thus resulting in saving time and resources while building more robust models. 

CSAS 117: Laser Fundamentals for Spectroscopy 

Presented by: Rob Chimenti

This course is designed to give attendees an introduction to the fundamentals of laser physics as well as a practical understanding of common laser designs and their applications in spectroscopy.   This course will begin by providing a fundamental understanding of the three basic components of a laser: gain medium, resonator, and excitation source.  You will learn how these components affect the laser characteristics that are important to spectroscopists, specifically, mode structure, spectral linewidth, pulse-width and average power.  Finally, attendees will be introduced to the pros and cons of common gas, solid-state, and diode laser designs as they apply to various spectroscopy applications

SciX 143: Introduction to Design of Experiments

Presented by: Art Hamfeldt & Michael Roberto

Knowledge of the fundamentals of Design of Experiment (DOE) is a critical skill for any spectroscopist, scientist, or data scientist. Unfortunately, it is uncommon for structured DOE training to be a part of formal education or onboarding in today’s world. In this course, attendees will learn the basics of three fundamental aspects of DOE – design, analysis, and optimization. The course includes hands-on experimentation with basic designs, allowing for first-hand experience with this crucial strategy for all.

CSAS 112: Optimizing Micro spectroscopy with Microscopy

Presented by: Dale Purcell and Brooke Kammrath

Microspectroscopy is a unified combination of microscopy and spectroscopy for microanalysis.  Every aspect of microspectroscopy requires the understanding and application of the fundamental principles of microscopy and spectroscopy.  In this intensive one-day course, we concentrate on the fundamental understanding and application of the microscope in acquiring high quality spectral data.  Microscopy plays a critically important role in selecting a sample for analysis and defining the microscopic area for which to be analyzed.  The relationship between absorbance and illumination is dependent on the optical characteristics of the specimen (diffraction, dispersion, refraction, and reflection) and the optical characteristics of the microscope.

wednesday, october 8

CSAS 124: What’s in the Box – How do spectrometers work

Presented by: Alex Scheeline & James de Haseth

A spectrometer’s output is indistinguishable from the output of a video game unless the user knows what is going on inside and how the instrument’s behavior influences data generation and meaning. This short course gives an overview of spectrographs and interferometers to demystify the light-tight box and computations that reveal spectra. What are an instrument’s limitations? If one instrument can’t provide adequate dynamic range, resolution, measurement speed, or molecular insight, what other instrument might? If the signal is drowning in noise, is there anything you can do? Can an instrument have too much resolution? Why are interferometers more common for infrared absorbance measurements than for atomic emission? This course will provide some answers, suggest additional questions, and point you to sources that can illuminate your measurements.

SciX 144: Common Pitfalls of Design of Experiments, and How to Avoid Them (New)

Presented by: Art Hamfeldt & Michael Roberto

This hands-on course will cover design of experiment (DOE) fundamentals, and discuss common pitfalls in design of experiments. In learning about these pitfalls, attendees will work hands-on with DOE software to understand the problems associated with each issue, then collaboratively and creatively find solutions to them. Course includes lecture material, software work, break-out group work, and other material.

cSAS 121: Introduction to Data Analytics for the Analytical Chemist

Presented by: Mary Kate Donais

Are you curious about all the Data Analytics courses being offered online and don’t know how they might relate to your work? Do you have little to no experience with coding? Do you want to use easily accessible and FREE software for data analysis? This one-day course is for you! Students will be provided with an active-learning-based introduction to data analytics for analytical chemists using R and Excel. Course content includes data visualization, testing the significance of data, finding structure in data, and process automation. Worked examples will include data sets collected in undergraduate courses that could easily be adapted to teaching and research. Analysis of spectral data from automated multi-file consolidation to cluster analysis and principal component analysis will be walked through step by step with students. Students will leave with copies of all code and data used in the workshop and the confidence to take their data analysis to the next level. The course is geared for anyone, students to faculty to senior researchers, that wants to integrate coding into their work or teaching.

thursday, october 9

CSAS 116: ABC to PMP - A Project Management Crash Course

Presented by: Luisa Profeta

Project management – a term invoking both excitement and loathing to the experienced professional but to the unfamiliar, it might as well be a second language for a freshly minted scientist venturing out into the world.  For the average scientist, the fundamentals of project management are not found anywhere in their undergraduate or graduate level schooling, despite project management being used throughout scientific disciplines. Learning further about project management early in one’s career (or even a little later on) can help scientists understand the nuances to formal project management within their chosen discipline.

This course is not a substitute for formal project management training towards a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, but aims to provide a half day of learning for attendees to understand how project management fundamentals influence all scientists in modern disciplines.  Attendees should leave the course having a firmer understanding of the influences of project management within all realms of scientific work

SciX 145: Sharing science with broader audiences

Presented by: Brian Pollok

Workshop participants will learn strategies to confidently and compellingly share their research with many different audiences, from families with children to investors and tenure review boards. Participants apply what they learned by rehearsing these strategies with their peers.