Report to the BMSS, November 09, 2015

Young Scientists and Researchers Environmental &

Food Analysis SIG Meeting, October 28, 2015

The Auditorium, BAT Research & Development, SouthamptonSO15 8TL

Aims

To highlight and focus on the research and innovation of young graduate scientists and researchers in areas relating to the applications of chromatography-mass spectrometry to environmental & food matrix analysis.

Report

The Young Scientists and Researchers Environmental and Food Analysis Special Interest Group Meeting, EFASIG2015, was a great success in attracting eight early career postgraduates and researchers from universities, commercial organisations and research institutes.

The young scientist and researcher presenters included:

  1. Dr BenjaminSavareear,Centre for Analytical Research and Technologies

(CART),University of Liege, Belgium

  1. Michael Wilde,Petroleum and Environmental Geochemistry Group, Biogeochemistry

Research Centre,University of Plymouth

  1. Kate Sidwick, School of Physical and Geographical Sciences, KeeleUniversity
  2. Russell Cole, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Portsmouth
  3. Glenn Castle,School of Earth and Environmental Sciences,University of Portsmouth,

represented by Adil Bakir

  1. Kelly Munro,Analytical & Environmental Sciences Division,King's College, London
  2. Dr Valle Morales, BAT Research & Development, Southampton
  3. Michael Dickinson, FERA Science Ltd., Sand Hutton, York

A prize was awarded to Michael Wilde, a postgraduate at the University of Plymouth, for his excellent presentation, generously donated by Simon Lambert, ARC Sciences and presented by Thomas Lambert in his absence. The early career group was congratulated for the very high standard achieved in their presentations.

This early career group was ably supported by experienced applications scientists from a range of organisations as follows:

  1. Ana Pardos-Pardos, LGC Group (Keynote 1)
  2. Tony Drury, Bruker Daltonics (Keynote 2)
  3. Anthony Gravell, Natural Resources Wales in conjunction with Markes International
  4. Dr Simon Hird, Waters Corporation, Wilmslow
  5. Mark Perkins, Anatune, Cambridge

The first session keynote was presented by Ana Pardos-Pardos of LGC Group who reviewedThe production of reference materials under an ISO Guide 34 accreditation.The morning session that followed was devoted to the early career group. Dr Benjamin Savareear presented his work onHigh Resolution Gas Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry for the analysis of volatile organic compounds.

Michael Wilde, a postgraduateat the University of Plymouthsummarized his research work onIdentification of petroleum acids by GC×GC-MS: A new method based on an old approach.

Russell Cole, a postgraduate at the University of Portsmouth, reviewed his research work on Development of a diffusive gradient in thin-films (DGT) technique for organotin compounds in sediment pore-water. Dr Valle Morales, a researcher at BAT R & D presented work on Thermal Desorption Gas Chromatography Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry for the analysis of aerosols.

Lunch with exhibition and a small poster session followed on from the first session, involving.ARC Sciences, Crawford Scientific, Hichrom, LGC Group, Markes Int. The RSC, Thermofisher

The pm session keynote was presented by Anthony Drury of Bruker Daltonics who gave an account ofQuantitation and identification of approximately 500 pesticides andveterinary drug residues in food extracts by LC-QTOF Mass Spectrometry.

The session for the remainder of the meeting was a combination of presentations from early career and experienced applications researchers.

Kate Sidwick, a postgraduate from KeeleUniversity, originally submitted an abstract for the poster session and was invited to present her research at the platform. Her presentation onTheeffect of ageing on the metabolic profile of meat was Kate’s first as she had not previously presented at Keele, and the talk was based on her first year’s PhD research findings. Kate was highly commended for the standard of her performance as an end of first yeat postgraduate. A more experienced but still early career researcher, Michael Dickinson from FERA, gave a highly competent and extremely interesting account of Exposing the exposome: Metabolomics and environmental toxicology. Anthony Gravell, one of the EFASIG’s strong supporters over a number of years, representing Natural Resources Wales, Llanelliin conjunction with Markes International, gave a very informative and somewhat unusual account of Identifying pollutants in unusual matrices by GCxGC-TOF MS: What can breast implants tell us about bio-accumulation?

Glenn Castle, a postgraduate from the University of Portsmouth, who had to withdraw at the last moment, made a very thoughtful and considerate suggestion. He asked the organisers if a co-author replacement, Adil Bakir could present for him. The presentation was excellently undertaken by Adil on The Chemcatcher® passive sampler for monitoring polar pesticideswhich illustrated the scientific and commercial aspects of universityinnovations.

Dr Simon Hird, from Waters Corporation, who has been associated with SIGs and is a longstanding contributor to environmental and food aspects, presented a very appropriate talk on a unique application of Rapid Evaporative Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (REIMS) for The Discrimination of Different Species of Meat andFish. Kelly Munro, a postgraduate from King’s College, London was the final early career contributor who presented a very apt talk entitled the Use of Accurate Mass Ion Ratio in ‘Semi-Targeted’ Approaches for the Detection ofPharmaceuticals in the River Thames.Finally, the meeting was brought to a close with a contributionfromMark Perkins from Anatune, who gave a very interesting presentation in representing Vaughan Langford of Syft Technologies, on novel mass spectrometric instrumentation, entitled Real-time Analysis of United States EPA Method TO-14A Compounds Using SIFT-MS

The enthusiasm demonstrated by the early career group to attend and present at the meeting is exemplified by Aneela Arshad, a final year postgraduate at ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity, who had to withdraw because the University had arranged for her PhD Viva to take place on the day of the meeting. The poster of the presentation she was to deliver at the platform was presented in her absence by her industrial supervisor, Keith Hall.

The EFASIG2015 Programme and Abstracts ppt file can be downloaded from the documents page of the analyticalmethodologycentre website and accessed via the link:

Representatives of mass spectrometry, scientific/training service organisations and professional bodies, who strongly supported the meeting by exhibiting, included:

  1. Simon and Thomas Lambert, ARC Sciences, Alton, Hants.
  2. Josep Serret and Damien Cull, Crawford Scientific, Strathaven
  3. Dr Julie Smith and Mark Ward, Hichrom. Reading
  4. Noel Drury, LGC Group, Teddington
  5. Kevin Collins, Markes, International, Llantrisant
  6. Dr Andrea McGhee, The Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge
  7. Phil Green, Thermofisher Scientific, Hemel Hempstead

In conclusion, it should be noted that the organizers were extremely pleased with the high standard and varied content of the presentations from the early career group, very ably complemented by the experienced practioners. The emphasis on early career researchers was a new venture for the SIG and there was an added feature to the SIG meeting in the representation by Andrea McGhee of the Royal Society of Chemistry who attended to discuss the possibility of addressing continuing professional development in future EFASIG initiatives.

The organisers wish to thank the staff at BAT R & D forproviding meeting facilities, local administration andfor their courtesy, efficiency and hospitality in every respect and also and, not least, Lisa Sage, BMSS Administrator for her guidance, efficient on-line registration and payment administration.

Finally, the organisers’ heartfelt thanks go to the early career and experienced presenters, the exhibitors and delegates for attending the meeting, participating so enthusiastically in Q/A sessions and during breaks and for making the meeting mostinteresting and anoverall success.

Peter Baugh & Chris Wright

EFASIG Leader and Head of Analytical Science, BAT G R& D

For the Organisers of EFASIG2015

A Group of Delegates, Presenters and Exhibitors attending the EFASIG2015 Meeting

at the Auditorium, BAT R & D, Southampton, and October 28, 2015

Michael Wilde, a postgraduate at the University of Plymouth receiving the ARC Sciences prize awarded for the best young scientist and researcher presentation. Presentation by Thomas Lambert,in the absence of Simon Lambert, ARC Science, the donor.

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