App Reviews

labcon

pays a visit to the sunshine city

Canada’s medical laboratory community is set to gather for three days next month as the sunshine city of Saskatoon, SK hosts LABCON 2014 (June 21 to 23 at TCU Place).

As the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science’s (CSMLS) national conference, LABCON is the place for lab professionals, managers, directors, educators and students in Canada to share information, experience new technology and connect with colleagues from across the country. Essentially, it gets lab professionals out of the lab to refresh and refocus so they can return to the lab armed with new ideas, knowledge and energy.

Last year’s event was hugely successful with more than 500 attendees and positive feedback to new presentation formats, including roundtable discussions and panel presentations.

CSMLS has also announced two captivating plenary speakers already. On June 21, Dr. Fergall Magee will lead a session titled: “Changing Practice in Laboratory Medicine”; while Dr. Michael Noble will lead a session on June 22 titled “Risk and Error and Costs in the Medical Laboratory.”

If you’ve never been to Saskatoon before, we encourage you to visit the Canadian Light Source Synchrotron, Intervac, as well as the other facilities that make up Saskatchewan’s bustling Innovation Place. And of course LABCON 2014 isn’t the only event we want you to circle on your calendars.

Back by popular demand, Genome Canada has announced it will once again be hosting its “Genomics: The Power and the Promise” event. Taking place November 24 to 26 at the Ottawa Convention Centre, the event hopes to build upon the last highly successful conference held two years ago, by bringing together world renowned genomics experts and visionaries from academia and industry. The theme for this year’s conference will be “Genomics and the Environment” and will explore ways genomics can help leverage Canada’s traditional resource sectors. It will also showcase how far we’ve come in our understanding of genomics, expanding its applications into areas beyond human health. Registration for the event is already open, and you can view program details and register at http://powerandpromise.event.com/2014.

aPP review

Mahjong Chem

From Stetson University Academics For iPhone and iPad https://itunes.apple.com/se/app/mahjong-chem/ id416482474?l=en&mt=8

Mahjong Chem is a neat little app that lets you practice your chemistry skills, using the classic game Mahjong. The free app falls under the ‘Education’ category, meaning it’s aimed more towards students than scientists. It’s a fun play for when you feel like testing your knowledge of the periodic table.

This app is meant for students or researchers developing their knowledge of chemistry. It’s not a lab aid. However, it’s a great download for students to learn the rules of basic chemistry. Bonus: the app features the classic Mahjong game for taking a break between study sessions.

Science360 for iPad

From National Science Foundation For iPad https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/science360-for-ipad/ id439928181?mt=8

Science360 is an iPad-only app that brings the wealth of informative and educational content from the U.S. government’s National Science Foundation (NSF) Science360 website to Apple’s tablet. This free app won’t be much use in the lab but it’s highly recommended for just about anyone with even a glancing interest in science as the editorial content from Science360 come from every science discipline with lots of high res photos and videos that are easily sharable to your social networking site of choice built within the app.

So even though it won’t help at work, the wealth of content on it will keep you entertained at home.

Ready for Reading

Eppendorf PlateReader AF2200

The new Eppendorf PlateReader AF2200 is specially designed for UV/Vis and fluorescence readings in 6 to 384-well format. The system is developed to simplify set-up procedures and data analysis. This makes your daily lab work easier. > Plate reader for UV/Vis absorption and fluorescence intensity (top and bottom reading) > Pre-programmed applications for quick start including basic data analysis > Eppendorf accessories from microplates to the micro-volume measuring plate