Join Photonics Media online April 12-13 for the Photonics Spectra Spectroscopy (PSS) Conference, a virtual event exploring new and evolving trends in spectroscopic tools and techniques. The conference will feature two keynotes and nearly 20 presentations organized into four sessions highlighting Emerging Technologies, Data Analysis, Biospectroscopy, and Embedded Spectroscopy. The full program and registration details can be found at www.photonics.com/pss2022. Conference will feature two keynotes. Roger Craig Wiens of Los Alamos National Laboratory and Purdue University will speak on spectroscopy and the Mars rover, while Rutgers University’s Laura Fabris will speak on using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) to understand drug delivery. Curated in collaboration with the Coblentz Society and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy, the program sessions will explore technologies ranging from Raman and NIR spectroscopy to chemometrics and laser sources for spectroscopic applications. Consumer and commercial applications — such as smart devices and the use of spectroscopy in the manufacture of vaccines, forensic investigation, and hand-held sensors — will be featured in presentations led by technical experts from industry and academia. “In the four distinct tracks that comprise our program, we aim to introduce techniques and applications and to provide guided roadmaps to members of a wide audience on how they might incorporate spectroscopic methods into facets of their R&D, data science, and commercial pursuits,” said Richard Crocombe, past president of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy and current principal of Crocombe Spectroscopy Consulting. “While many sessions, particularly in the Emerging Technologies track, focus on what we consider ‘hot topics’— such as fiber optics and novel laser spectroscopy — we have prioritized widespread applicability throughout the program,” Crocombe said. “How do users turn data into useful, actionable information to generate results? How do we chart progress in spectroscopic imaging for biomedical applications? How are multispectral sensors being embedded in ‘smart’ consumer goods? These are questions at the fore of the field of spectroscopy. As a result, they are the same questions that have helped guide us in building the PSS program.” Wiens and Fabris to keynote In the PSS event’s first keynote, Roger Craig Wiens from Los Alamos National Laboratory and Purdue University, and leader of the SuperCam instrument team on the Mars Perseverance rover, will detail the variety of spectroscopic methods currently deployed on Mars. From sophisticated custom spectrometers to precisely calibrated and combined methods, the Perseverance and Curiosity rover missions are delivering precision insights on the mineralogical, chemical, atomic, and molecular composition of Mars’ surface. Wiens will cover techniques such as laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), visible and near-infrared (VISIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and acoustic spectroscopy — all of which are used by the SuperCam instrument. Laura Fabris of Rutgers University will look in her keynote at spectroscopy as a mechanism for biophotonics applications. Fabris leads a team that explores current and future methods to monitor drug delivery and disease characteristics, such as by studying the suitability of SERS probes to provide response on population outliers that could indicate superspreader behavior. Industry drivers and key players Industry leaders such as Oxford Instruments, TOPTICA Photonics, ams OSRAM, and more will host sessions on pertinent topics in the life sciences. Renowned figures from across the spectroscopy landscape — including Crocombe and Conor Evans of Harvard Medical School — will overview their recent work. Crocombe will headline the Embedded Spectroscopy portion of the program with a presentation on the miniaturization of instruments. View the full program schedule here.