Abstract
The LabAutomation conference slogan—Where Laboratory Technologies Emerge and Merge—truly is an understatement. The seeds of many of tomorrow's best new ideas are rooted in its scientific sessions and poster presentations. It's here where we see how other lab automation professionals are harnessing new technology to solve the challenges we all struggle with in our labs. Whether we work at our benchtops to develop new cures for cancer, new kinds of custard, or new ways to catch crooks, the scientific applications presented at LabAutomation can be interpreted and applied to benefit each of our own, individual research initiatives.
This special issue of JALA shares a sampling of some of the many different topics and technologies that were addressed at LabAutomation2006—from DNA arrays, to microfluidics and microchip detection to name just a few. Several presentations, including poster presentations by students, caught the interest of commercial and private organizations for possible future research and development.
The Student Poster Contest at LabAutomation is a feature of which we are particularly proud. We served as co-chairs for the Student Poster Contest at LabAutomation2006, and were pleased to present 32 posters by 26 academic institutions—all of which were accepted for their innovation and excellence. A judging committee took a closer look at the work showcased by these posters, and through a careful, two-tiered process that included interviews with the authors, three winners rose to the top. As announced in the April 2006 issue of JALA, the Lab-Automation2006 Student Poster Contest winners were:
First Place:
“Using a Microcantilever Array for Detecting Phase Transitions in Polymers”
Sibani Biswal of the University of California Berkley
Second Place:
“A Battery Powered Compact Thermocycler for Rapid PCR”
Nitan Agrawal of Texas A&M University
Third Place
“New Flexible Laboratory Automation System Concepts for Biotechnology Research Laboratories”
Peyman Najmabadi of the University of Toronto
In this special issue of JALA, we are pleased to share short technical papers based on these winning presentations and a variety of other excellent presentations. We hope you find value in the work showcased here, and we hope you will consider sharing your achievements at LabAutomation2007 (January 28–31, Palm Springs, CA). Abstracts are now being accepted at http://labautomation.org.
Sincerely,
Tony Lozada, M.Sc.
Erik Rubin, Ph.D.
