2005 / 06
Dear Reader !

Welcome to the June edition of the Speciation Newsletter provided by the European Virtual Institute for Speciation  Analysis (EVISA). At the beginning of the months we celebrated the 50,000 visitor and the 1,000,000 page delivered by our server.

It is not only chemistry that drives the speciation of trace elements, as can be seen from one of the news this month, but biological activity as well.  This is a good example for the necessity to closely cooperate with scientists in an interdisciplinary fashion in order to get the complete picture. EVISA is supporting the research community by easy access to the communication channels of scientists all over the world (see our directory).

After some stagnation, business development within the analytical sector seems to grow again. Even the German manufacturers are optimistic about the development for this year.

Events during this month and the next one are dedicated to man and his environment. For more details see our agenda below.  

We hope that our newsletter will attract your interest, and would be happy to receive your suggestions, comments or criticism.

NEWS | EVENTS | TRAINING | VACANCIES | DIRECTORY | LINKS
NEWS

EVISA is keeping you updated  with what is going on in speciation analysis. In this section you will find news about the most current research results, about trends, legal issues and informations from manufacturers in the field of speciation analysis.



EVISA member eurofins strengthens its position
Eurofins Germany recently (June 1st) held a ceremony to mark the completion of the first phase in the construction of what will be Europe’s largest and most modern independent food analysis centre.
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Analytical industry in Germany optimistic about the business in 2005
The German industry supporting the analytical and bio-analytical market is optimistic for the business in 2005. After a generally positive year 2004 the manufacturers of analytical and laboratory instrumentation expect increasing turnover. Most of the companies expect growth both for the internal business as well as for the export. Altogether a growth of about 5% is expected, which would result in a total turnover of 4.5 billion euros in 2005.
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Arsenic concentration in groundwater may be affected by bacteria
Arsenic is a toxic, naturally occurring element that is sometimes found at high concentrations in well water. High arsenic concentrations can occur even in areas without a pollution source when the bedrock or soil that is in contact with the ground water releases arsenic as the water flows over the surfaces. This is the case in West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh, where the contamination of well water is creating serious health problems for the population (the "biggest calamity of the world").
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EU science budget threatened
The head of the European Research Advisory Board (EURAB) has called on Europe's research community to speak out against proposals to substantially cut a planned increase in the European Union research budget for 2007–2013 ahead of a key EU summit on June 16.
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NEW PRODUCTS
EVENTS

With a list of about 50 entries EVISA is informing you about interesting events and keeps you updated with their deadlines. By consulting our list of deadlines you won't miss the opportunity for early registration at reduced fee or the chance to submit your contribution in time.
 
more infos...

Please also note, that some conferences have opened their call for papers, e.g. the
2006 Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry
2006 Pittsburgh Conference (PittCon)

For other events, the deadline for the submission of abstracts is approaching, e.g. for the
International Beijing Conference and Exhibition on Instrumental Analysis
ExTech 2006
HTC-9

AIRMON 2005
Location: Loen, Norway
Date: 12.06.2005 - 16.06.2005
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TEMA-12: Scientific developments, Novel Applications and Progress into the 21st Century.
Location: University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland
Date: 19.06.2005 - 23.06.2005
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NEMC: 21st National Environmental Monitoring Conference
Location: Wyndham City Center Hotel, 1143 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20037, USA
Date: 25.07.2005 - 29.07.2005
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ICBIC 12: International Conference on Bioinorganic Chemistry
Location: Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Date: 31.07.2005 - 05.08.2005
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2nd Omaha Workshop on Magnetic Sector ICP-MS
Location: Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Date: 15.08.2005 - 17.08.2005
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9th CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - 2005
Location: RHODES ISLAND, GREECE
Date: 01.09.2005 - 03.09.2005
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Colloquium Spectroscopicum Internationale XXXIV
Location: University of Antwerp, Belgium
Date: 04.09.2005 - 09.09.2005
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Dalton Discussion 8: Metals: Centres of Biological Activity
Location: University of Nottingham, UK
Date: 07.09.2005 - 09.09.2005
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TRAINING

EVISA is supporting the field with educational and training activities meant to improve in the medium- and long-term the knowledge and know-how of users. Well known scientists working in the field are giving the lectures as well as transferring the know-how during the hands-on part of the training courses.
For learning about EVISA's current training activities please consult the following list of events that also provides more specific information and details for registration. Since the number of places in these courses is rather limited, early registration is recommended !
 
 
 

Arsenic speciation in foodstuffs and water in relation to legislative requirements
Location: The Danish Institute for Food and Veterinary Research, Søborg, Denmark
Date: 12.09.2005 - 13.09.2005
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Speciation analysis applied to environmental issues
Location: Pau / France
Date: 12.09.2005 - 15.09.2005
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Fundamentals of coupling techniques in speciation analysis
Location: Pau, France
Date: 19.10.2005 - 20.10.2005
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Organic mass spectrometry in speciation analysis
Location: Pau / France
Date: 21.10.2005 - 21.10.2005
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Selenium speciation in foods and food supplements
Location: The Danish Institute for Food and Veterinary Research, Søborg, Denmark
Date: 14.11.2005 - 15.11.2005
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Speciation analysis and food security
Location: Pau, France
Date: 24.11.2005 - 25.11.2005
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Speciation analysis applied to industrial issues: Waste management, Semi-conductors, Petroleum products, Car and electroplating industries, Cement industries, Mining industries
Location: Pau, France
Date: 05.12.2005 - 08.12.2005
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Accuracy and quality assurance in speciation analysis by isotope dilution mass spectrometry
Location: Pau, France
Date: 23.02.2006 - 24.02.2006
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VACANCIES

EVISA provides information about open positions for Ph.D. students, PostDocs and permanent staff in the field of speciation. Looking to fill a vacancy or needing a new career challenge? Either way this service is FREE. If you would like to post an open position here, please contact us at info@speciation.net !


Doctorates

University of Southern Denmark, Odense
PhD studentships in dynamic metal speciation analysis are available at the Department of Chemistry, University of Southern Denmark. The projects will involve development of electrochemical approaches to understanding metal speciation in aquatic systems, including the sediment/water interface and biofilm matrices.

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Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen,
The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Denmark is currently interested in applications from talented post-graduate students who would like to qualify for a PhD study in the interface between analytical chemistry and plant biology using HPLC-ICP-MS and other techniques to study metal speciation in plants and in the rhizosphere.
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Postdoctoral

Department of Chemistry at Clemson University
A postdoctoral position is being filled through the Department of Chemistry at Clemson University and its Institute for Nutraceutical Research. This Postdoctoral Fellowship is funded by Gaia Herbs for the purpose of developing analytical methodologies to advance the science of heavy metals (and metals in general) as they apply to herbal dietary supplements. The position exists in the laboratory of Professor R. Kenneth Marcus and will focus in the further development of comprehensive metals speciation methods involving HPLC separations and particle beam-glow discharge mass spectrometry.
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USGS Mendenhall: Menlo Park, CA
Characterization of Microbial Communities Involved in Methylmercury Cycling at Historic Hg and Au Mining-Impacted Sites

The historic mercury (Hg) and gold (Au) mining operations in California produced a great deal of wealth, but also produced waste material (e.g., tailings, calcines, unprocessed ore, and waste rock) that still pose physical and chemical hazards. The greatest of these may well be the chemical hazard of Hg itself, but the toxicity, mobility, and bioavailability of Hg depend on its chemical form (i.e., species). Methylmercury (CH3Hg+) is the form most detrimental to the environment, because it is a potent neurotoxin that is readily bioaccumulated and biomagnified in aquatic food webs. Toxic effects are primarily manifested in the developing embryos of organisms at higher trophic levels, particularly those organisms for which fish constitutes a large portion of the diet.
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Isotope Geochemistry/Hg Biogeochemistry, University of Michigan
Research positions are available in the area of isotope geochemistry and/or Hg biogeochemistry at the Postdoctoral Fellow or Research Faculty level. The successful candidate(s) will conduct biogeochemical research utilizing the single and multi-collector ICP-MS and/or Hg analysis laboratories. Expertise in ICP-MS isotopic analysis, and/or Hg biogeochemistry is highly desirable.
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CABE, University of Geneve, Switzerland
Positions for studying ENVIRONMENTAL SENSORS AND PROBES AND THEIR APPLICATIONS at the Department of Inorganic, Analytical and Applied Chemistry of the University.
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Other

Frontier GeoSciences, Inc.: Quality Assurance Officer
Frontier GeoSciences, Inc. a progressive environmental research and specialty inorganic analytical lab in Seattle is searching for a Quality Assurance Officer. Frontier's areas of expertise include ultra-trace metals analysis and metal(loid) speciation (primarily for Hg, As, Se, Cr, and Sb). Candidates should be extremely knowledgeable about trace metals analysis and have several years' experience at an inorganic lab. Strongly positioned for growth in 2005, Frontier is looking for a proven, innovative leader to join our team.

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USDA: Research Nutritionist (Biochemistry) at Grand Forks , ND
The position is located at the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center , Grand Forks ,ND. The incumbent will participate in studies of selenium metabolism, including the chemical speciation and transport of food selenium compounds and stable isotopic tracers in animal models, human subjects and cell culture models.
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Faculty Position in Analytical Geochemistry
The Department of Earth Sciences at Memorial University of Newfoundland invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in Analytical Geochemistry at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor. The successful candidate will join a team of faculty and research staff developing multicollector-magnetic sector-ICPMS (with laser ablation capabilities), ion microprobe and scanning electron microscope instruments in the new Inco Innovation Centre at the St. John's campus.
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DIRECTORY


EVISA's directory of scientist is a versatile tool to facilitate contact with scientists in the field of speciation and related sciences. The directory is fully searchable for names, addresses, research topics etc.  You should bookmark this directory as an always up-to-date address book. (In order to hinder SPAM robots for collecting the E-mail accounts, we hide them in a special format).

More than 220 active scientists in the field of speciation analysis already joined the directory. Join this great directory that is extensively linked to all tpye of other information on this site, such as homepages, conferences and literature.

If your entry is still missing in this directory, please contact us at info@speciation.net.

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FORUM
EVISA'S discussion forum provides an open room to talk, to reach others with similar interests, and to find answers to your burning questions. goto forum


LINKS

EVISA provides an easy access to external information. Our database contains about 800 links to relevant information from numerous top scientific resources spread over the whole Web. The database is searchable both via full-text and categories such as elements, type of species and type of information. We are permanently updating our links section.

If your web site is missing here, please e-mail your link information to links@speciation.net.

Today we would like to recommend you some interesting pages devoted to European Research, Policy and News:

Athena's web: A multimedia platform focused on Research and Science in Europe

EU Bookshop: Publications of the EU

EURACTIV: Eu News, Policy Positions

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Copyright 2005 EVISA 
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No responsibility is assumed by the publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein.The authors are solely responsible for the information provided in the present poster. The Newsletter represents only the opinion of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Community. The European Community is not responsible for any use that might be made of the information provided.