James L. Waters Symposium 2009 on near-infrared spectroscopy

This is a report on the Pittcon 2009 Waters Symposium, which featured five speakers on the history and fast-growing applications of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Often called the "Father of NIRS", Karl Norris described the development and the initial refinement of the first NIR instruments for use in whole-sample grain measurements. Peter Flinn provided an explanation of the science behind this technology and explained the need for and use of chemometrics in interpreting NIRS data. Franklin "Woody" Barton explained how the first official, standardized methods were developed and described the development of compact, dedicated NIR spectrometers for rapid, non-destructive, at-line and in-line analysis of material. Phil Williams detailed the introduction of NIRS to the world of commerce and the spread of NIR worldwide. Finally, Robert Lodder explained some out-of-the-box modern applications of NIRS in the fields of aging, artificial intelligence and astrobiology.