FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - In 1974, chemist Charles Wilkins co-authored one of the first texts on laboratory computer applications in chemistry; in 1980 he pioneered the used of Fourier transform mass spectrometry, an analytical technique now used by chemists worldwide. Today he continues his innovations by building new spectrometers and using them to characterize polymers, proteins and pollutants.

Wilkins, Distinguished Professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Arkansas, has won the Award for Outstanding Achievements in the Fields of Analytical Chemistry for his lifetime of achievement in research. The award is given annually by the Eastern Analytical Symposium and in the past has been received by professors at Stanford University, Cornell University and the University of Maryland.

Since his arrival at the University of Arkansas in 1998, Wilkins has created the Center for Sensing Technology and Research (CSTAR), purchased a 9.4 Tesla Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometer and played a leading role in establishing the Arkansas Statewide Mass Spectrometry Facility.

His current research focuses on polymer analysis using novel mass spectrometry techniques to study synthetic materials used in household goods and automobiles. He also uses novel mass spectrometry techniques to study different bacterial subtypes for potential use in detecting and characterizing bacterial infections. He and his students also are developing a new type of Fourier transform mass spectrometer to analyze aerosol particles, which pose a potential danger to human health because they can lodge in the lungs for months.

Wilkins has won numerous national awards recognizing his novel methods, including the 1997 American Chemical Society’s Franklin & Field Award for Outstanding Achievement in Mass Spectrometry.

Eastern Analytical Symposium (EAS) is a non-profit professional organization that sponsors a symposium on various topics in analytical chemistry and an exposition of instruments, equipment and supplies used in analytical chemistry. This year the symposium and exposition will take place on Nov. 18-21 in Somerset, NJ. EAS is the second largest meeting in the US dedicated to the needs of analytical chemists and those in the allied sciences.

Wilkins will receive the award at the symposium in November in Somerset, N.J.

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