Joe Wang receiving the Spiers Memorial Award from Faraday Division President Graham Hutchings
Professor Joseph Wang is the 2013 winner of the Spiers Memorial Award announced at Faraday Discussion 164 last week in Durham, UK.
Faraday Discussions are unique international discussion meetings which focus on rapidly developing areas of physical chemistry and its interfaces with other scientific disciplines, with the aim to provide a forum with academic experts and users. A number of meetings are organised each year by the Faraday Division , the most recent in association with the Analytical Division of the RSC, with the meeting having an analytical chemistry component.
The meeting was held at Durham University and focused on Electroanalysis at the Nanoscale, a growing area of interest which finds applications in various disciplines including biology, fuel cells, material science and sensing. The Spiers Memorial Award was presented by Faraday Division President Graham Hutchings to to the introductory lecturer who provided a most stimulating and wide-ranging introduction to the discussion.
Joe Wang is a Distinguished Professor and Vice Chair of Nanoengineering at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), USA, is an Honorary Professor from 6 different universities and recipient of two National American Society Awards for Electrochemistry and Instrumentation. Research in his laboratory is focused on nanobioelectronics, an emerging field aimed at integrating nano- and biomaterials with electronic transducers. His highly multidisciplinary research combines fundamental studies with forward-looking engineering efforts.
With his work, Professor Wang has provided great contributions to the areas of electroanalytical chemistry and nanobiotechnology and highlighted the most recent advances in the development of nanomotors, nanoactuators, electrochemical biosensors and wearable sensor systems.
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What does it mean to be an “Analyst”?
Pui Sai Lau is a guest web writer for Analyst and Analytical Methods. She is currently a PhD student at McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
The Thinker (from The Bubble Chamber blog)
There appears to be many journal titles that contain the word “analyst” in some form. Examples include Analytical Biochemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Analytica Chimica Acta, Analytica, Journal of Analytical Toxicology, Analytical Methods, and of course, Analyst.
With so many variations of analytical journals available, some effort is needed to determine the best fit when submitting a manuscript for publication. This process requires classification of your own area(s) of research, which can be surprisingly challenging.
Take for instance, the areas of biochemistry, chemical biology, and biological chemistry. The prefix of each word appears to form the suffix of the next, and vice versa. In fact, if all of these words are to be read one after another, the whole phrase sounds more like a tongue-twister! While each of these respective scientific fields is specialized in its own right, some ambiguity still remains upon deeper contemplation of what exactly each field encompasses and what it does not. Differences among the fields can become more difficult to discern, the boundaries that separate them become less defined, and these multi-disciplinary approaches begin to converge into common research goals.
An underlying factor that unifies various scientific areas is the requirement of high quality analysis.
So, what does it mean exactly to be an analyst? Perhaps it is someone who can decipher the fine details of chemical reactions, molecular structures, computational algorithms, and biochemical mechanisms; then piece together these components into an overall composite for scientific understanding. Perhaps it is someone who is well-attuned with his/her surroundings, and inspired to find answers to everyday peculiarities. It may be someone who foresees the raw potential in new discoveries, even before direct applications are demonstrated. Or simply someone who loves scientific questioning and appreciates the sake of learning for what it is worth in and of itself. Whatever the precise definition is, frequent publications and updates on the latest scientific breakthroughs by journals like Analyst continue to ignite the passion of those who are motivated to discover and to know more.
So what does being an Analyst mean to you? Share your thoughts with us by commenting below.
From discovery to recovery – Analyst and Analytical Methods working together for the analytical community
Analyst, 2011,136, 429-430
DOI: 10.1039/C0AN90013C
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