Mar 11 2010
In collaboration with the Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS), a member organization of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), ASD Inc. helped define the state-of-the-art in the growing field of spectroscopy during the Art, Science and Applications of Reflectance Spectroscopy Symposium held here last week.
The one-of-a-kind scientific meeting of the minds drew over 35 acclaimed researchers, scientists and engineers from a variety of disciplines and 11 countries across the globe to present their work on a wide range of topics.
“This unique event brought together the best minds in our field. We showcased exciting advances in spectroscopy research and the growth in applied science,” said ASD CEO David Rzasa. “We’re honored to help provide the opportunity for this diverse community to share new applications and ideas.”
Two days of plenary sessions covered a broad range of scientific and commercial spectroscopic applications, including a remote planetary sensing breakthrough. Dr. Roger Clark of the United States Geological Society’s Denver chapter and Dr. Joe Boardman, owner of Boulder-based Analytical Imaging and Geophysics, showed how they used ASD spectrometers to prove the existence of hidden polar icecaps on the moon. The incontrovertible data upended the scientific community’s previously held belief that the moon had no water.
Nearly all of the attendees had personally used ASD spectrometers, but none had been to a symposium that covered such a breadth of applications: attendees learned about new commercial opportunities in minerals and the breeding of new grains, spectrometric data’s promise for understanding global climate and vast ecosystems, fighting the malarial Tsetse fly, and industrial applications that will save a forestry company more than $20 million over a 10-year period.
For those unable to attend the symposium, ASD provided a live blog feed—updated in real time and viewed by more than 75 virtual attendees from around the world. Over 1,000 entries and 29 photos were posted during the event.