Two Years On
Including the contents this final issue of 2014, we’ve published just shy of 350 articles to date, covering all aspects of analytical science. Where next? Well, that’s really up to you...
Has it really been two years since we started our mission to record, scrutinize and celebrate analytical science – or a year since our inaugural 2013 Innovation Awards? Is it a case of tempus fugit (for geneticists: time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana)? Or is the past, present and future just an illusion as Albert Einstein believed? Either way, it’s not until I recall the brilliant and engaging scientists who have graced The Analytical Scientist that I realize how far we’ve come. We covered a great deal – from sampling and sample preparation to paper-based microfluidics to MS imaging – and yet, there is so much left to explore. Was your field left out in the cold? Did we skip your core technique? Have we not even acknowledged your existence? If you are solemnly nodding, then I apologize and invite you contact me to discuss how we can make amends.
We were very clear from the beginning that The Analytical Scientist is your magazine. Earlier this year, many of you helped us stay on track by completing our online reader survey – thank you (there will be another at some point in the new year). We have tried to take as many of your comments on board as possible in 2014 and hope that we are publishing content that is as fresh and engaging for the whole analytical community as it was when we started. Your ongoing feedback is extremely valuable.
In the spirit of community, I would like to welcome contributions (concepts, text, images or video) from anyone in the analytical sciences with an opinion or exciting work to share. The Analytical Scientist is an open forum for discussion and knowledge exchange; our aim is to drive the field forward just that little bit faster or in subtly different directions. Your views, ideas, debates – and involvement – are what makes The Analytical Scientist tick. If you’ve already contributed – thank you; the invitation to do so again is always open. If you’ve not been involved but feel you have something to offer, you can email me directly at [email protected].
And so we return to the present (assuming it is not merely an illusion), which brings with it our annual Innovation Awards. Here, we showcase 15 winning combinations of invention, vision and utility that were selected and ranked from your nominations by a judging panel that comprised three leading experts and the editorial team. We extend our sincere congratulations to all 15 TASIA winners.
To conclude, I offer somewhat more digestible words from Einstein: “We cannot solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”
Thank you to all innovators in our amazing field.
Best wishes for the New Year,
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.
