Scientific Innovation and Collaboration are the Hallmarks of an Outstanding LabAutomation2008

LabAutomation2008 has welcomed 4,670 registrants from 40 countries around the world to the Palm Springs Convention Center, Palm Springs, CA, January 26-30.

LabAutomation2008 continued a tradition of delivering high-quality education and innovation. The conference featured the top 100 podium presentations on laboratory automation, which were organized in five educational tracks, 18 short courses, 189 poster presentations, 33 academic travel awards and 21 industry-sponsored workshops. The exhibit portion of LabAutomation2008 included more than 50 new products, and 242 exhibitors in 420 booths.

“It is truly exciting to be a part of LabAutomation2008 and this scientific society that drives education and innovation in laboratory science,” said ALA President Jim Sterling, Ph.D. and Professor at Keck Graduate Institute.

“Everything about this conference and exhibit underscores this statement. The plenary sessions, short courses, industry-sponsored workshops, podium presentations and posters all featured some of the best minds in laboratory automation; LabAutomation clearly fosters relationships between researchers, technology providers, and purchasing laboratories,” continued Sterling.

Spearheading this year’s conference was an outstanding line-up of plenary speakers, including 2001 Nobel Prize Winner K. Barry Sharpless, Ph.D., W.M. Keck Professor of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute; Henry Chesbrough, Ph.D., University of California, Berkley; and Paul Gudonis, President of For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST).

In addition, the conference curriculum included two special sessions:

• Commercialization of Technology from Academia to Industry

• Stages of Career Development and Diversity for the Technical Professional in Today’s World Economy

For the second year, several companies were selected to participate and exhibit in Innovation AveNEW. This program, which is featured in a specially designated area on the exhibit floor, provides start-ups from around the world in the fields of laboratory automation and life sciences a venue for positive, collaborative interaction and exposure for their products and/or services.

Recognizing the best new products on the exhibit floor, ALA’s second annual New Product Award (NPA) Designation was awarded to the following three outstanding companies:

• Formulatrix, Inc. – Formulator™

• QIAGEN – QIASymphony SP

• Viaflo Corporation – Vision Pipettors™

“LabAutomation2008 was a huge success for all the right reasons,” said ALA Executive Director Greg Dummer. “We are energized that our attendance continues to trend upward, but the real story here extends beyond numbers. The people coming here each year are a diverse group, and at the core, they’re all creative and inventive scientific professionals. This conference really is something special: we have an event that uniquely stitches together a quality, peer-reviewed scientific program with an exhibition delivering innovative tools, applications and true business development opportunities.”

Dummer continued, “We could not have delivered such an impressive overall event without the generous support of our Premier Sponsor, Velocity11, as well as all of our additional sponsors.”

With the overwhelming success of LabAutomation2008, all involved are already looking forward to LabAutomation2009 in Palm Springs, January 24-28, 2009. LabAutomation2009 will be highlighted by plenary series speakers John Abele, co-founder of Boston Scientific, and Jeffrey Wigand, Ph.D., the real-life insider whose character was portrayed by Academy Award Winner Russell Crowe in “The Insider.”