Dr. Ephraim M. Govere, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA

COURSE DESCRIPTION
At Universities and government, non-government, and private research organizations, the number of peer-reviewed publications is a key performance indicator for promotion, maintaining, or securing a job.  This course gives an overview of the necessary actions to be taken to make sure that analytical data of known quality objectives are obtained to meet scholarly publication requirements by high impact scientific journals.  Research article publication acceptance rate in high impact journals can be enhanced by proper setting of data quality objectives and determining, reporting, and interpreting data quality indicators.  Some of the data indicators used to demonstrate quality of research results are: reported accuracy, precision, recovery, detection limits, and sensitivity.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This one-day course will benefit assistant professors, graduate students, postdocs, research associates, and research technicians.

TOPICS
1. Accuracy of Analytical Methods
2. Analytical Bias
a. Serious bias
b. Acceptable bias
c. Insignificant bias
3. Measurement Sensitivity
a. Calibration sensitivity
b. Analytical sensitivity
c. Sensitivity, bias, and uncertainty interval
4. Measurement Precision
a. Reproducibility
b. Repeatability
5. Recovery
a. Recoveries for assessing calibration sensitivity and analysis sensitivity
     b. Recoveries for determining whether the sample matrix affects accuracy
     c. Recoveries for correcting bias
6. Detection Limits
a. Limit of detection (LOD)
b. Method detection limit (MDL)
c.  Instrument detection limit (IDL)
d. Limit of quantification (LOQ)
7. Setting Data Quality Objectives and Reporting Data Quality Indicators in Research Journals

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Dr. Ephraim Muchada Govere is a laboratory director at The Pennsylvania State University (PSU).  He directs and manages a multi-function, multi-user research cluster laboratory that provides leadership, expertise, and analytical instrumentation and equipment necessary for research and teaching in the areas of environmental and agricultural chemistry.  Dr. Govere has national and international analytical experience that includes working for Dynamac International Corporation Environmental Services at the USA West Ecology Division EPA Environmental Research Laboratory, and at the International Fertilizer Development Center.