Smithers Environmental Fate and Metabolism scientists will chair two symposiums at the 264th ACS National Meeting & Exposition, August 21 – 25, 2022, in Chicago, Illinois.

Symposium: Support of Agricultural Research & Development using LC-Mass Spectrometry or Extraction Efficiency Testing: New Trends & Best Practices

Purpose of Symposium
Advances in instrumentation and software have significantly impacted how agricultural research and development has evolved. Newer mass spectrometry instrumentation and data processing tools have provided better analyte selectivity, improved sensitivity, and higher throughput. Instruments incorporating accurate mass and high mass resolution capabilities significantly impact study design. Accurate mass technology is now used routinely in all aspects of agricultural R&D such as product discovery and development where high-quality metabolism data is essential to lead candidate optimization, product registration where residue definitions can be defined with confidence, and monitoring of food and environmental samples. 

Suggested Topics

•           Use of high resolution, accurate mass (HRAM) instrumentation for metabolite identification
•           The role of HRAM / accurate mass instrumentation for quantitative analyses
•           HRAM-based quantitative/qualitative workflows for pesticide discovery
•           High throughput applications utilizing HRAM instrumentation
•           Advanced software applications for metabolite identification and structural elucidation
•           Applications of ion mobility mass spectrometry in agricultural research and development
•           The use of isotopic labeling of agrochemicals to assist in metabolite identification •           Mass spectrometry for confirmation in animal drug residues
•           Targeted and non-targeted pesticide analyses
•           Applications of MS-imaging in agricultural research and development
 
Symposium Organizers
Dr. Jim Ferguson and Rory Mumford

Symposium: Climate Change and Sustainable Agriculture: Impacts on food security/trade, risk assessment and pesticide fate studies (Early Career Symposium)

Purpose of Symposium
Sustainability has been at the forefront of scientific discussion in recent years. The results of environmental fate studies have become more scrutinized during the registration of pesticides and pharmaceuticals. To adequately discuss decision-making on transport and fate, it seems helpful to look at how industry and academia have paid attention to the concerns of the environment to ensure minimal impact of products and processes to the ecosystems. Sound data are essential to decision-making regarding sustainability; dependable testing and assessment methods that are reliable and reproducible are essential to obtaining this sound data. The purpose of this symposium is to share and discuss the results of environmental fate and behavior studies, developments in analytical techniques, and assessment methods that provide more accurate data while promoting sustainability.

Suggested Topics

•           Innovative techniques that support regulator-required studies.
•           Identification of chiral stereoisomers: critical issues and regulatory compliance.
•           Progress of practical execution of further characterization of non-extractable residues following EPA guidance.
•           Kinetic evaluation of metabolites: modeling software and approaches.
•           Electronic data capture to promote environmental sustainability.
•           Statistical approaches of data following regulatory guidance.
•           Cutting-edge technology in research to improve efficiency while reducing hazardous waste generation.
•           Challenges with registration while evaluating the toxicity, persistence, and ecological effects.
•           Parallels and differences across guidance documents

Symposium Organizers
Aleksandra Dean and Xavier Poole
 
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