ANALYST, JUNE 1993, VOL. 118 65N Conference Report SAC ’92, an International Conference on Analytical Chemistry: September 20-26, 1992, Reading, UK Towards Continuing Professional Competence in Analytical Chemistry: An Expression of SAC ’92 Weatherwise, SAC ’92 was the wettest of all the series of triennial conferences, first organized by the Society for Analytical Chemistry (SAC) at the University of Nottingham in 1965. Nevertheless, this enhanced the role of the event to be a medium contributing towards promoting the continuing professional competence of the Conferees. SAC ’92 was a double celebration as it also marked the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Laboratory of the Government Chemist (LGC). Because of this anniversary, the Analytical Division of The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) was joined by the LGC in the organization of SAC ’92; and helped also by representatives of the Symposia on Spectros- copy Across the Spectrum, as the third symposium of that series was also incorporated into SAC ’92.special Wednesday morning session on ‘Registration of Analytical Chemists’. The highlight of the Opening Ceremony was the Official Opening Address of Dr. G. Robinson, Chief Adviser on Science and Technology in the Department of Trade and Industry. This was followed by the Opening Address by the Government Chemist, Dr. Richard Worswick on ‘Laboratory of the Government Chemist, Past and Future’ (see page 455)’ which set the scene for both the 150th Anniversary Celebra- tions and for SAC ’92 itself with its natural emphasis on the quality of analytical measurements.Arrival and Opening Session The customary buffet dinner and welcome reception on the Sunday afternoon provided the opportunity of renewing friendships, making new ones, and catching up on news and new developments. Dr. Richard Worswick Dr. Bernard King The special association of SAC ’92 with the work of the LGC was brought home by the first Plenary Lecture of the event given by the Government Analyst, Dr. Bernard King, on ‘The Development of an International Measurement System’, a timely theme in regard to professional develop- ment. The platform party prior to the Opening Ceremony. Back row (L-R): Dr. J. S. Gow (Secretary-General, RSC), Professor G . Den Boef (IUPAC) and Professor J. Mann (University of Reading). Front row (L-R): Professor C.W. Rees (President, RSC), Dr. G. Robinson (DTI), .Dr. E. J . Newman (President, Analytical Division), Dr. R. D. Worswick (The Government Chemist) and Mr. P. G. W. Cobb (Chairman, SAC ’92 Executive Committee) The settling-in process required digestion of the week’s scientific and other fare as laid out in the SAC ’92 Conference Handbook. There were 75 pages of tightly packed material, so that the accompanying Summary Programme Card was a well- fingered aid in planning the week ahead. Individual choices from the extensive menu were based on summaries of the 101 lectures (including Plenary Lectures) and 174 posters (although unfortunately some authors did not afford conferees the courtesy of presenting their posters). Decisions were frequently difficult because of the high quality of the lecture programme and the impossibility of being in more than one lecture theatre at a time.No such problems arose with the Opening Ceremony (in the capable hands of the SAC ’92 and LGC 150th Anniversary Executive Committee Chairman, Mr. P. G. W. Cobb), Plenary Lectures, or the The Scientific Sessions The Scientific Programme got under way on the Monday afternoon with the Plenary Lecture given by a speaker brave enough and of sufficient foresight to have specialized early on in the belatedly recognized important area of air chemistry and air analysis. This was by Professor D. Klockow (Dort- mund, Germany) who spoke on ‘Speciation in Atmospheric Trace Analysis: Analytical Chemistry With Inadequacies and Compromises’.Professor Dieter Klockow Professor Tony Fell66N ANALYST, JUNE 1993, VOL. 118 The Conference then divided into its constituent streams A, B and C, with stream A catering for the Spectroscopy Across the Spectrum Symposium; and a poster session on molecular spectroscopy; stream B was devoted to the environment, initially of water and air, and then food and agriculture, and a poster session on environmental considerations. It was but a small step for stream B to be then directed to pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. In this day and age, instruments are essential items for analysis both in and out of laboratories hence stream C was devoted to this theme. The Plenary Lecture of Professor A. F. Fell (Bradford, UK) on ‘Hyphenation Detection Systems in Separation Science’, served to demonstrate the versatility of modern separation methods and of the adeptness of the lecturer in filling the breach left by the billed Plenary Lecturer; Professor D.E. Games having been taken ill. (Conferees wished Professor Games a speedy recovery, and the latest news is that he is to be seen at his desk, and is back in circulation.) Chromatography was the Tuesday morning theme for stream C, followed by the post-lunch poster session on instrumentation and separation science and continuing with the Tuesday afternoon session on separation science. A Change, But Not a Rest At SAC Conferences, Wednesday is traditionally a day for a breather from rushing between one stream and another, and has over the years taken various forms. This time, the day’s events commenced with a Plenary Session on ‘Registration of Analytical Chemists’, with lecture presentations by Dr. J.S. Gow (Secretary General of The Royal Society of Chemistry) on ‘The European Chemist Designation’ and Professor J. D. R. Thomas (Cardiff) on the ‘Indicative Register of Analytical Chemists’. There then followed a broadly based ‘Education Swap Shop’ devoted to novel experiments and teaching ideas, as well as to more diverse matters such as publication in RSC journals and the report of the working group on Education and Training in Analytical Chemistry set up by the Chemical Measurement Advisory Committee (CHEMAC). After an early lunch, everyone boarded coaches for the 150th Anniversary Open Day of the LGC at the impressive new buildings in Teddington.This was a most informative visit relating to the work of the Laboratory and of the facilities available. Some of the conferees took a rush view of the Laboratory in order to attend the CHEMAC Open Meeting in the new lecture room on the site. This meeting, chaired by Dr. R. Worswick, was set to express and discuss the aims and activities of CHEMAC in various terms by: (i) the provision of a forum for the analytical chemistry community to contribute to the development of the Chemical Measurement System; (ii) the dissemination of information on the development of the UK and International Chemical Measurement System; (iii) the establishment and development of a senior level focus to support the development of the Chemical Measurement System; and (iv) the provision of a coordinated UK input concerning the practice of chemical measurement into natio- nal and international organizations. Towards a Fine Ending On Thursday, the full-week conferees saw new faces among them, i.e., a fresh group of two-day registrants (two-day registrations are a feature of SAC arrangements).Further- more, the Plenary Lecturer was not the expected Professor B. R. Kowalski (who was under medical orders not to travel), but his colleague Prgfdsor Jim Callis who, to the intense relief of the Scientific Programme Coordinators, was ‘passing through’ and gave an outstanding lecture on ‘Recent Advances in Analytical Chemometrics’. Atomic spectroscopy has been prominent at analytical conferences ever since Alan Walsh took the Feigl Symposium by storm at Birmingham 30 years ago.It was, therefore, natural that the entire stream A on Thursday and the associated post-lunch posters were devoted to this theme, while stream B stuck to the Plenary Lecture theme of chemometrics to join up with validation matters in the poster presentations. Professor Jim Collis Professor Miguel Valcurcel The current missionary role of the LGC in the realm of method validation, proficiency testing, reference materials, analytical quality assessment and accreditation was well reflected with stream B being devoted to these themes right through from Thursday afternoon to the end of the Scientific Programme on Friday afternoon. On Thursday morning, stream C was devoted to electroanalytical chemistry, and supported by post-lunch posters, after which this stream had sessions on education/professional matters and microanalysis.As already made obvious by the content of stream B, Friday was not to be a dull day, on the contrary there was much of interest. First of all, there was the informative and tightly packed opening Plenary Lecture of Professor M. Valchrcel (Cordoba, Spain) on ‘Flow-through Biochemical Sensors’. Stream A followed this theme throughout the day under the heading of automation and flow injection and shared with spectrometric analysis for the post-lunch posters. The theme of sensors was also prominent on Friday morning in stream C and among the posters after lunch. Forensic methods was the theme for the final Friday afternoon session of stream C . Other Features All SAC Conferences have a Social Programme.The reasons are three-fold. Firstly, to look after accompanying persons so that their partners can give undivided attention to their professional development through the Scientific Programme. On this occasion, there were interesting visits to the Courage Shire Horse Centre in Maidenhead, to Oxford and to the home of the Duke of Marlborough and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill at Blenheim Palace (and the weather held dry for the open-top bus tour of Oxford), to the Royal Palace at Windsor Castle (a last glimpse ahead of the disastrous fire, which occurred later in the month) and St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, to Blakes Lock Museum in Reading and to the home of the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon at Highclere Castle. The second reason is to provide some insight on science outside of the Conference itself.The Wednesday afternoon visit to the LGC, to which allusion has already been made, catered for this. Additionally, there was a new venture for a SAC Conference, namely the Monday evening Reception at Thames Water Utilities, followed by a tour of their new laboratory in Reading. The official science did not end on this evuing until 22.30 h, but went on unofficially at Whiteknights Hall until much later. The third reason for the Social Programme is to provide an opportunity during the evenings for conferees to discuss and develop the themes of the day’s scientific presentations, and to compare notes on the various approaches to problem solving and the state-of-the-art of analytical chemistry in the wide range of countries represented at the SAC Conference.TheANALYST, JUNE 1993, VOL. 118 67N usual attractions of SAC Conferences and the occasion of the 150th Anniversary Celebration of the founding of the LGC provided the opportunity for collecting together conferees from an unusually wide range of countries and backgrounds. Thus, the receptions already mentioned, along with the Reception of the LGC on Tuesday evening and the Confer- ence Banquet on Thursday evening promoted new friendships amongst those that were previously strangers. Morning and afternoon breaks between lectures were lightened and made informative by the Exhibition stands. A final feature of catering for different tastes was the SAC '92 Update Seminar on Wednesday morning on 'Information Technology for Analytical Chemists' convened by Ms.Cheryl Teague of the RSC Tnformation Services. Conclusion The 150th Anniversary of The Laboratory of the Government Chemist and SAC '92 along with Spectroscopy Across the Spectrum was formally concluded late on Friday afternoon at the Conference Closing Ceremony by Dr. E. J. Newman (President of the Analytical Division of the RSC) and Dr. R. Worswick. All present agreed that this had been a good week for analytical chemistry, but with some sadness that it was at an end. All was not yet finished though, for the Social Sub- committee, mindful that final dispersal of conferees was not to be until Saturday had arranged an evening barbecue, which successfully sealed a memorable week, particularly since the brass band provided various old favourites, including, among others, the English, Welsh and Yorkshire anthems! The last conferees dispersed on the Saturday morning weighed down with their green-covered SAC '92 Conference Handbooks and 150th Anniversary gift book of the LGC entitled 'Weighed in the Balance: A History of the Laboratory of the Government Chemist'. These, and all the other printed information collected and notes taken during the week are the valuable aide memoires on an exercise in the professional development of those who attended. Elsewhere though, as indeed happened at PITTCON '92 in New Orleans in an exercise of The American Board of Industrial Hygiene, conferees would have collected various credit points towards accredited professional advancement. Will this become a feature of SAC Conferences and other organized symposia? J. D. R. Thomas School of Chemistry und Applied Chemistry, The University of Wales, P.O. Box 912, CurdfJ U K CFI 3TB