Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) and mass spectrometry (MS) are key technologies for a wide range of security applications. They provide analytical tools for the high sensitivity operational trace detection of explosives, chemical warfare agents and narcotics, whilst higher resolution mass spectrometers enable lab- based characterization of threat materials including forensic analysis.
MS is also increasingly being deployed in the field as technological and engineering solutions emerge to meet MS system requirements, such as robust, low power vacuum pumps. Ionisation is key to both detection and analysis methods, and advances in the use of non-radioactive sources for production of reagent ions and in ambient ionisation for MS have reduced the logistic and regulatory burden and increased applications in the security arena.
Following two very successful one-day workshops at the University of Birmingham in 2015 and 2016, this first International Workshop, organized by the Chemical Sciences Security Group (CSSG) of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), and the Institut für Atemgasanalytik at the University of Innsbruck, will bring together scientists and technologists from academia, industry and government in an informal setting to network and share recent advances in areas such as PTR-MS, ESI-MS, IMS and MS for security applications. The aim is to facilitate closer collaboration in this field and improve the exploitation of novel concepts.
The Workshop is being co-hosted by the Institute for Breath Research, University of Innsbruck, an the FH Vorarlberg, University of Applied Sciences. Dornbirn is situated in the beautiful Vorarlberg region of Western Austria near Lake Constance, just a few kilometres from the Swiss border. Dornbirn is 9km (5 miles) from the ski resort of Bödele which offers direct access to 16 individual pistes, served by 12 ski lifts. There are excellent and fast train connections from many nearby major cities, including Zurich, Munich, Innsbruck and the famous ski resort of St Anton.
Abstracts are invited on the applications of MS, IMS and related spectrometric techniques to all areas of security, resilience and crime reduction, including (but not limited to) explosives, chemical agent and narcotics detection; forensic science; counterfeiting; food and water security; emergency response; border protection.
Please use the following template for your abstract and upload the abstract after registration.
The registration fee is € 200 to include an evening meal on Monday night, a Workshop dinner and coffee/tea breaks. To register please go to
http://veranstaltungen.fhv.at/sfs
If you browser has problems with registration (e.g. Microsoft Edge) use either Firefox or Safari!
As a guest of the Fachhochschule Vorarlberg you will be able to get specials rates at Hotel Krone http://en.kronehotel.at/ . When booking with the Hotel Krone, please state “Gast der Fachhochschule Vorarlberg”. There are also many other hotels in Dornbirn and the surrounding area. Please e-mail Prof. Unterkofler if you need any assistance.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
US Department of Energy
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
New Mexico State University
Centre for Analytical Science
Loughborough University
Director, UCL Centre for the Forensic Sciences
Professor of Crime and Forensic Science
University College London
18.00 – 19.00 | Registration |
19.30 – 22.00 | Networking |
7.00 – 8.15 | Breakfast (hotels) |
| 8.15 – 8.30 | Welcome and introductory remarks |
08.30 – 09.30 | Keynote |
| 09.30 – 10.30 | Forensic Science 1. A Procedure for the determination of selectivity in High Resolution Mass Spectrometry; Thomas Conner 2. Computational Modelling in the Forensic Context; Pooja Goddard |
| 10.30 – 11.00 | Official Opening and coffee break Rector FHV - Prof. (FH) Dr. Dipl. Psych. Tanja Eiselen |
| 11.00 – 12.00 | Analysis and detection methods 1. A Thermal Extraction Ionisation Source (TEIS) for the Direct Analysis of Organic Compounds in Real Time; Carl Fletcher 2. Evolution and Developments of Proton Transfer Reaction-Mass Spectrometry for Security Applications; Ramón González-Méndez |
| 12.00 – 12.30 | 3. Headspace analysis of inorganic materials; Natasha Stephens |
| 12.30 – 18.00 | Networking / free time |
| 18.00 – 19.00 | Food and Border Security 1. Enhancing Food Safety and Authentication through Training and Implementation of Advanced Mass Spectrometry Techniques in Asia and the Pacific; Stewart Walker 2. Detection of human traces for reduction of people’s illegal transport; Veronika Ruzsanyi |
| 19.30 – 22.00 | Evening meal EventGastro inatura |
7.00 – 8.15 | Breakfast (hotels) |
8.30 – 9.30 | Keynote |
| 9.30 – 10.30 | Chemical Warfare Agents 1. Real-time monitoring of chemical warfare agents with PTR-MS; Philipp Sulzer 2. Engineering the casualty journey at a nerve agent attack simulation in Greece; Andria Hadjithekli |
| 10.30 – 11.00 | Coffee break |
| 11.00 – 12.00 | Sampling and preconcentration 1. Silicon Nanowire Arrays for Preconcentration and Partial Separation Coupled to Mass Spectrometry and Ion Mobility Spectroscopy; Braden Giordano 2. Novel passive samplers for explosives vapour detection; Leon Barron |
| 12.00 – 12.30 | Workshop photograph |
| 12.30 – 18.00 | Networking/ free time |
| 18.00 – 19.00 | Poster session |
| 19.30 – 22.00 | Workshop Dinner Hotel Krone |
7.00 – 8.15 | Breakfast (hotels) |
| 8.30 – 9.30 | Keynote |
| 9.30 – 10.30 | Novel concepts MS-based fieldable explosives detection (1) |
| 10.30 – 11.00 | Coffee break |
| 11.00 – 12.00 | MS-based fieldable explosives detection (2) 1. Threat detection using Scenthound™ platform; Jani Hakala 2. Fast carry-on luggage screening method for explosive detection; Gonzalo Fernandez de la Mora |
| 12.00 - 12.30 | Closing remarks and workshop ends |
Prof. Univ.-Doz. Dr. DI Karl Unterkofler
FH Vorarlberg, University of Applied Sciences
Hochschulstraße 1
6850 Dornbirn
karl.unterkofler@fhv.at
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Christopher A. Mayhew
Universität Innsbruck
Institut für Atemgasanalytik
Rathausplatz 4
6850 Dornbirn
christopher.mayhew@uibk.ac.at
Dr Matthew Brookes (Chair)
Dstl Fellow
Energetics Analysis Group
Counter-Terrorism and Security Division
Defence Science and Technology
Laboratory (Dstl)
mdbrookes@dstl.gov.uk