Robinson envisions the possibility of participating in large-scale screening programs when interest in the facility spreads in New Zealand and overseas. Plant breeders at New Zealand's Forest Research Institute have recently provided 1400 samples for mfa measurement, and miscellaneous samples are arriving from around the world for preliminary study. A particularly rich and interesting diffraction pattern was collected from jute samples from Bangladesh and has led Robinson to think about the wider possibilities of fiber diffraction. He explains that initial surveys of materials such as cotton and wool were undertaken in the 1940s and 1950s however the diffraction patterns were difficult to interpret and little use has been made of the diffraction data Robinson believes that many potential applications of fiber diffraction exist and with the availability of modern area detectors and data handling techniques it may be time to re-investigate these materials Alison Downard
BUSINESS Dionex acquires Softron In October, Dionex (Sunnyvale, CA) announced that it had purchased Softron, a privately held German company specializing in HPLC systems. Softron's products are marketed predominantly in Europe and have generated annual revenues of $10 million in fiscal year 1997. Dionex reports that it expects an after-tax charge against earnings this year of between $6 and $8 million for the Softron acquisition.
Analect becomes part of Orbital Orbital Sciences (Dulles, VA) acquired Analect, a manufacturer of FT-IR and I'T-near IK analyzers for the process analytical market, in October. Orbital plans to merge the company into its Applied Instrument Technologies business based in Ponoma, CA. Orbital's business currently focuses on space, satellite, and Earth-imaging services. According to Orbital's management, the purchase of Analect will help the company gain entiy into the chemical and polymer markets.
PEOPLE
Therese M. Cotton 1939-1998 Therese M. Cotton passed away on October 26,1998, after a four-year battle with ovarian cancer. Therese received her A.B. from Bradley University in 1961. After starting a family and working for a few years as a research assistant at the USDA's Northern Research Laboratory in Illinois and at the Argonne National Laboratory, Therese began her graduate studies with Paul Loach at Northwestern University and Joseph Katz at Argonne She then began a postdoctoral stint with Rick Van Duyne and was awarded NSF IBM and NIH postdoctoral fellowships She su,bsequently held faculty appointments at the Illinois Institute of Technology the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Iowa State University She served as a'member of the Analytical Chemistrv A-Page Advisory Panel from 1W to 1995 Her scientific achievements reside primarily in the development and application of resonance and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopies as tools for the characterization of biological systems. She was the first to recognize and exploit the capabilities of this technique, and her numerous innovations are testimonies to her genius in experimental design. In particular, Therese's contributions to the electrochemistry, photochemistry, and photoelectrochemistry of biological molecules placed her as stated by Van Duyne, "without peer in this area of science". She publishep more than 150 papers and continued to work energetically during her couragtous struggle against this debilitating disease. In recognition of her research accomplishments, Therese rereivea numerous awards, including the Lester Strock Award, which is given by the Society of Applied Spectriscopy for seminal publication (s) ovec afive-yearperiod preceding the award. She was particularly proud of the Distinguished Alumnus Award she received recently from Bradley University. Therese is survived bl three children,
six grandchildren, and more than 60 past and present members of what is known around the Iowa State University campus as the "Cotton Club". Even while ill, Therese served as a role model for the members of her research group as well as her family and many friends. Richard Walsh, a graduate student in Cotton's group, said, "Dr. Cotton is going to live on in my mind, forever teaching me how to be a better person. This is the mark of a powerful teacher." Therese was a role model for us all. She was a unique mix of parent, scientist, teacher, mentor, colleague, and friend. Her courage, spirit, and intellect will be missed by all of us. Marc D. Porter and Edward S. Yeung
New Advisory Board and A-Page Advisory Panel members appointed Advisory Board
Six new members from government, academia, and industry have been selected to serve three-year terms on Analytical Chemistry's Ediiorial Adviiory Board. Each January, membership is rotated as new appointees replace members whose terms have expired. The chair of the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry serves a one-year term as ex officio representative of the Division. Established in the 1940s to advise the Journal's editors, the board meets formally once a year at ACS headquarters. The board members are a vital link between the editors and the analytical chemistry community, providing guidance and advice on editorial content and policy. Luc Bousse, research director at Caliper Technologies, received an electrical engineering degree from Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium) and his Ph.D. from Twente University (The Netherlands) . His research interests include systems-level analysis in microfluidic devices, microfluidics, microfabrication, electrokinetic transport, and chemical and biological sensors.
Analytical Chemistry News & Features, January 1, 1999 21 A
News Robert M. Corn, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, received his B A. degree from the University of California-San Diego and his Ph.D. from the University of CaliforniaBerkeley. His research interests include applying surface-selective spectroscopies (second harmonic generation, surface plasmon resonance, and polarization-modulation FTIR) to the study of surface chemistry at liquidmetal, liquid-semiconductor, and liquidliquid interfaces and creating ultrathin biopolymer films for biosensor and DNA computing applications. Viorica Lopez-Avila, principal science advisor at Midwest Research Institute, received her B.S. degree from the Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest (Romania) and her Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Lopez-Aviia's research interests include sample-preparation techniques (supercritical fluid extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, and solid-phase extraction) for environmental analysis, instrumentation forfieldanalysis (GC, GC/MS, membrane introduction MS biosensors and X-ray fluorescence) and immunoassays. Klaus Mosbach, professor of Pure and Applied Biochemistry and director of the Center for Molecular Imprinting and Recognition at the University of Lund (Sweden), received his Ph.D. from the University of Lund. Mosbach's research interests include enzyme technology, biosensors, affinity chromatography, and molecular imprinting. J. Michael Ramsey, corporate research fellow and leader of the Laser Spectroscopy and Microinstrumentation Group in the Chemical and Analytical Sciences Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, received his B.S. degree from Bowling Green State University and Ph.D. from Indiana University. Ramsey's research 22 A
interests include microfabricated chemical instrumentation, ultrasensitive laserbased detection techniques, nonlinear spectroscopies, and real-time chemical characterization of aerosol particles. Ramsey is the ex officio member representing the Division. Antonio J. Ricco, director of Microfabrication Technology at ACLARA Biosciences, received his B.S. degree from the University of CaliforniaBerkeley and his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Ricco's research interests include microanalytical systems and sensors based on microfabrication technology, electrokinetic phenomena, optical detection, acoustic w3VC devices and electrochemical methods. Isiah Warner, professor at Louisiana State University, received his B.S. degree from Southern University and his Ph.D. from the University of Washington. Warner's research interests include fluorescence spectroscopy, guest-host interactions, organized media, chromatography, environmental analyses, and chemometrics. A-page Advisory Panel
In addition to the Editorial Advisory Board, Analytical Chemistry hah selected new members to serve three-year terms on its A-page Advisory Panel. This year, the Panel will meet at the Pittsburgh Conference and HPLC '99 (Granada, Spain) to provide feedback on the A-page editorial content and to propose appropriate topics and authors for feature articles. This year's meeting in Spain will be the second for the European members of the A-page panel. Alain Berthod, research director at the National Center for Scientific Research (France), received his Ph.D.fromthe Universite de Lyon 1 (France), where he is also an adjunct professor. Berthod's research interests include micellar LC, countercurrent chro-
Analytical Chemistry News & Features, January 1, 1999
matography, chiral separations, and hydrophobicity scaling. Marta E. Diaz-Garcaa received her B.Sc. degree and Ph.D. from the Universidad de Oviedo (Spain), where she is professor. DiazGarcia's research interests include applying molecular spectroscopy to environmental and medical problems and developing optical (bio) chemical sensing devices for clinical and environmental monitoring. J. David Pinkston, principal scientist at Procter & Gamble, received his B.S. degree from Ouachita Baptist University and his Ph.D.fromMichigan State University. His research interests include enhancing the mobile-phase diffusion properties of chromatographies—coupled with MS or other detection modes for studying surfactants, pharmaceutical agents, and other components related to consumer products. Karen L. Wahl, senior research scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, received her B.A degree from the College of Wooster and her Ph.D. from Michigan State University. Her research interests include applying MS to biological problems, particularly bacterial analysis. Renato Zenobi, associate professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, received his M.S. degree from ETH Zurich and his Ph.D. from Stanford University. He is also one of the founders and directors of the Center of Excellence in Analytical Chemistry at ETH Zurich. His research interests include laser-based analytical chemistry, laser-assisted mass spectrometry laser-surface interactions and near-field optical microscopy and spectroscopy
