The Pittcon Organizing Committee is pleased to announce the highlights of the 2013 James L. Waters Annual Symposium, "Chemical Imaging Spectroscopy" which will focus on the commercialization of chemical imaging. Chemical imaging has enabled advancements in the fields of pharmaceutical analysis, polymer characterization and identification of defects in semiconductor materials. It continues to be a key tool in these and in many additional medical and homeland security applications.

This informative symposium will take place during Pittcon on Monday, March 18, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The speakers chosen for the symposium are pioneers in this field and are uniquely qualified to discuss the development of chemical imaging and its commercialization. The session will also focus on the current state of the technique and what the future holds for chemical imaging. Speakers include E. Neil Lewis, "Chemical Imaging: Those Are Pretty Pictures But Who Gives A Darn!" Patrick J. Treado, "Birth to Young Adulthood of Molecular Chemical Image," Richard Crocombe, "The Development of Infrared Spectroscopic Imaging and Focalplane Array Detectors: Are FPAs Enabling Technology, Achilles' Heel, or Both?" and Joachin Koenen, "Confocal Raman Microscopy: From Single Spectra Acquisition to Routine 3D Raman Imaging."