The 28th International Symposium on Separation Sciences (ISSS 2024)

The 28th International Symposium on Separation Sciences (ISSS 2024), chaired by Luigi Mondello (University of Messina, Italy) and Danilo Corradini (CNR-Institute for Biological Systems, Rome, Italy), will be held in Messina on September 22–25, 2024. In this interview, Corradini, who is a member of the permanent Scientific Committee of ISSS, reveals what the conference will offer participants this year.

What are the origins of the ISSS conference, and who should attend?

ISSS 2024 is the 28th edition of a series of International Symposia that started in 1990 in Bled, Slovenia, as the continuation of a series of local seminars and conferences held in Zagreb since 1967. The first six editions were alternately organized in Slovenia and Croatia, and the subsequent editions were held as annual international meetings in Central European countries, underneath the auspicious eye of the Central European Group for Separation Sciences (CEGSS). The Symposium traditionally offers a platform for the discussion of new developments in all fields of separation science, including relevant aspects of sample preparation and the hyphenation of chromatographic and electrophoretic techniques to other separation methods or spectroscopic techniques. At the same time, it provides a forum for the discussion of advanced and challenging applications in scientific and industrial areas. The scientific programme of ISSS 2024 will cover fundamental and practical aspects of separation and detection methods, as well as hyphenated, multidimensional, and miniaturized separation techniques and advanced applications for analytical, preparative and industrial purposes. ISSS 2024 will comprise invited lectures by distinguished scientists, oral communications, and poster presentations. Flash podium presentations by young scientists and an instrument exhibition displaying the latest instrumental innovations will be included too.

Does ISSS have any unique characteristics compared to other conferences?

The main objective of ISSS conferences is to encourage and facilitate the participation of young scientists and Ph.D students by several means, including a low-priced registration fee; the availability of a large number of scholarships for young scientists and Ph.D students, covering their registration fee (€24 for ISSS 2024); scientific and social programme tailored to encourage discussions; and one-to-one interactions with peers and leading separation scientists.

According to the ISSS policy, the registration fee (€350 and €250 for full participants and Ph.D. students, respectively) includes access to the entire scientific programme and exhibition hall, symposium material, daily coffee breaks, and lunches, in addition to the participation to all social events, including welcome cocktail at the opening, a get-together party, and the gala dinner in a typical Sicilian restaurant.

What are you excited about for ISSS? Is there anything new or different about ISSS 2024 compared to previous years?

The scientific programme of ISSS 2024 will offer a great opportunity for young scientists to be informed on the latest advancements in separation science from leading scientists, not limited to those comprising the long list of the invited speakers, emerging young scientists, and Ph.D. students, who will present and discuss their research work either in oral and flash communication from the podium or as poster presentations.

ISSS 2024 will include a plenary session in memoriam of Csaba Horváth (1930–2004) to honor the 20th anniversary of his death. All communications will be presented by separation scientists who worked at Yale University with him. Horváth is universally recognized as a pioneer of modern separation science, most notably having designed and assembled the first high-pressure system for liquid chromatography.

ISSS 2024 will repropose the creative competition called CHROM-ART that was introduced at ISSS 2022 in Ljubljana, consisting of the submission by the delegates of images that were created during chemical experiments and can be viewed from an artistic perspective (for example, a sunrise pattern on an HPTLC plate or a chromatogram in a shape of an object). Novel initiatives will include a quiz game called “Who Wants to be an International Separation Science Star ISSS2024,” consisting of ten multiple choice questions, at which each delegate to ISS2024 can participate, connecting their mobile phone to a site that will be communicated at the registration desk. Participating in “CHROM-ART” and “Who Wants to be an International Separation Science Star ISSS2024” offers the possibility of winning a prize.

Is there anything you want to achieve in particular?

Both the scientific and social programmes are planned to promote interactions on a one-to-one basis of practitioners of separation techniques and scientists of diverse generations working in different scientific environment and geographic areas. We want to offer opportunities to establish contact among people for new collaborations to develop new ideas and exchange opinions. This will be the main goal of ISSS 2024.

Are there any aspects of the conference that are important to younger scientists?

The inclusion in the programme of short oral communications presented by Ph.D. students and young scientist under the age of 35 has several positive aspects. It enlarges the number of young delegates having the possibility of presenting and discussing their scientific work with a qualified audience. It offers a chance to talk to those who are at the beginning of their career and have never presented their work from the podium; further, it is an efficient way to disseminate novel and preliminary data and to open stimulating discussions during scientific sessions and social events. The poster session is the other opportunity offered to young scientists and Ph.D. students to present their work and to meet and discuss informally with interested delegates, facilitating the exchange of ideas and creating novel networking opportunities. Both oral and poster presentations will be offered chances of winning prizes.

Do you value the importance of "real" events compared to virtual events? What are the benefits of appearing in person?

In-person meetings offer the possibility of one-on-one interactions among delegates and informal contact with peers during the scientific session, visit the exhibition, and participation in social events, which are missing in virtual symposia.

Anything else participants should be aware of?

Messina, the city hosting ISSS 2024, is not only the hometown of one of the most prestigious research groups in the area of separation science of the world, coordinated by Luigi Mondello. It is also one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the Mediterranean and in the world. Messina lies on the western coast of the strait that separates peninsular Italy from Sicily, offering a beautiful landscape that ranges from the bay of Taormina to the nearby volcanic archipelagos of the Aeolian Islands. This territory combines natural beauty, cultural heritage, and a unique cuisine tradition. Delegates will be able to appreciate during the symposium at the coffee and lunch breaks and the social events, including the conference dinner that will be held in a typical Sicilian restaurant.

About the Interviewee

Danilo Corradini earned his Ph.D. in chemistry at Sapienza University of Rome and received postdoctoral education in separation science at the Yale University (USA). He serves as principal investigator of the European Project PATHFOOD at CNR-Instituto for Biological Systems in Rome and studies fundamental and practical aspects of HPLC and electromigration techniques for analytical separations of biomolecules of phytochemical interest. In recognition of his scientific contributions, he has received the “Andrzej Waksmundzki Award” in 2023, the “Giovanni Duga Medal” in 2021, the “Arnaldo Liberti Medal” in 2014, the “Central European Group for Separation Science Award” in 2011, and the “Csaba Horváth Memorial Award” in 2009. He is the author and co-author of numerous scientific publications on HPLC and capillary electrophoresis of biomolecules, and he is an editorial advisory board member of several journals. He has been a member of the Scientific Committee of the Italian National Research Council (CNR), and has continued to hold important positions in scientific committees of national and international organizations. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Central European Group for Separation Sciences, a member of the permanent scientific committee of the International Symposium of Separation Sciences, of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Austrian Drug Screening Institute of Innsbruck (Austria), and of the Mediterranean Separation Science Foundation Research and Training Center of Messina (Italy). Correspondence to: isss2024@sepscisoc.com