In Your View
The holiday season is a time to rest, to restore… and to reflect
Charlotte Barker, Joanna Cummings, Frank van Geel, Rich Whitworth |
Perhaps you have been a regular subscriber to The Analytical Scientist since the beginning (2013!). Perhaps you are a freshly-minted member of our ever-growing community. Or perhaps you browse our website, seeking out the content most relevant to you. Whichever type of reader you may be, we sincerely appreciate you and your support. And we ask each of you to join us in a moment of reflection. The festive season – with family get-togethers and (hopefully) an escape from typical daily demands – is always a good time to sit down, look back, and look ahead.
It’s nearly six years since the first issue of The Analytical Scientist; how do we, the four editors, now see our role? Well, it hasn’t changed: working with hundreds of contributors, we aim to share thought-provoking research, to highlight current developments from new angles, and to present you with diverse, substantiated viewpoints. Certainly, we do not wish to impose our vision on you, but rather to help you sharpen and hone your own ideas. And we do all this on a regular basis, through our monthly print magazines, our weekly e-newsletters and our online presence.
As we are a conduit for analytical science, it would be folly not to investigate ourselves as closely as we do the scientific content we publish. The observant among you will have noticed our newly designed website www.theanalyticalscientist.com, which will change the way we deliver content to you – but your opinion is essential for helping us choose the content that you want to read.
A good publication is made in constant dialogue with the reader. You keep us sharp. We invite you to tell us where we are succeeding – and how we can do better. Why not visit the new website and leave a comment on an article you do (or don’t) like? Or alternatively email [email protected].
Wishing you happy holidays and a fruitful new year!
Charlotte, Joanna, Frank and Rich
After studying biology at Imperial College London, I got my start in biomedical publishing as a commissioning editor for healthcare journals, and I’ve spent my career covering everything from early-stage research to clinical medicine.
A former library manager and storyteller, I have wanted to write for magazines since I was six years old, when I used to make my own out of foolscap paper and sellotape and distribute them to my family. Since getting my MSc in Publishing, I’ve worked as a freelance writer and content creator for both digital and print, writing on subjects such as fashion, food, tourism, photography – and the history of Roman toilets.
Frank van Geel is owner of educational website Chromedia and Scientific Director of The Analytical Scientist. He studied analytical chemistry, specialized in mass spectrometry in the Netherlands and did several years of post-doc work in spectroscopy with Jim Winefordner at the University of Florida in the US. Then he became a science teacher and later publisher in chemistry and physics related topics. He developed numerous publications in chemistry and other sciences. He strongly supports the mission: Building online communities is the road to take. We need to strengthen the quality of analytical chemistry and we need to strengthen our community by sharing know-how and by sharing our opinions, visions and our views of the future of analytical science.
Rich Whitworth completed his studies in medical biochemistry at the University of Leicester, UK, in 1998. To cut a long story short, he escaped to Tokyo to spend five years working for the largest English language publisher in Japan. "Carving out a career in the megalopolis that is Tokyo changed my outlook forever. When seeing life through such a kaleidoscopic lens, it's hard not to get truly caught up in the moment." On returning to the UK, after a few false starts with grey, corporate publishers, Rich was snapped up by Texere Publishing, where he spearheaded the editorial development of The Analytical Scientist. "I feel honored to be part of the close-knit team that forged The Analytical Scientist – we've created a very fresh and forward-thinking publication." Rich is now also Content Director of Texere Publishing, the company behind The Analytical Scientist.
