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Sustainability Scientists’ Choice Awards winners announced

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Instruments from Agilent Technologies recognized as having made an impact on laboratory sustainability

2 Apr 2024
Jemima Arnold
Editorial Assistant

Editorial article

Scientists worldwide have been voting in the Sustainability categories of the 2023 Scientists’ Choice Awards®.

This year, in response to the critical importance of sustainability in our ever-growing world, we have taken significant strides to expand the category dedicated to recognizing laboratory products or services that actively contribute to reducing the environmental footprint of scientific research. Introducing a pioneering new award, we asked scientists to nominate laboratories at the forefront of sustainable initiatives.

The Scientists’ Choice Awards are unique in the industry as they are chosen by scientists and healthcare professionals. Each year, we invite scientists around the globe to participate by nominating, reviewing, and voting for the lab products that have had the greatest impact on their work.

Read on to learn more about this year’s winners and nominees to discover how they are shaping a more eco-conscious future for laboratory research.

Sustainable Product of the Year

The award for Sustainable Product of the Year in the reducing consumables and reagents category goes to the Cary 3500 Flexible UV-Vis Spectrophotometer by Agilent Technologies.

The Cary 3500 Flexible UV-Vis is a double beam spectrophotometer with superior photometric performance — for challenging measurements with minimal sample preparation — that can be deployed in regulated environments. The system offers a unique large sample compartment with small footprint for analyzing liquid samples that require long pathlength cuvettes, as well as characterizing solid samples..

The runners-up are:

Sustainable Supplier of the Year

The award for Sustainable Supplier of the Year goes to Agilent Technologies.

Agilent Technologies supports scientists in cutting-edge life science research; patient diagnostics; and testing required to ensure the safety of water, food and pharmaceuticals. In 2021, Agilent announced its commitment to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions no later than 2050, already implementing environmentally conscious product design as a central feature of the business. Agilent has engineered its instruments to improve sustainability in a holistic way — from product design and manufacturing to usage and disposal.

The runners-up are:

Sustainable Laboratory of the Year

The award for Sustainable Laboratory of the Year goes to the Atsumi Lab, Chemistry Department, University of California Davis.

To combat waste on campus, the Atsumi lab spearheaded an initiative across UC Davis Chemistry, Plant Pathology, and Biomedical Engineering departments to recycle empty pipette tip boxes into new, plastic lab consumables by partnering with the company Polycarbin. This project, funded by the UC Davis Green Initiative Fund who supply 1-year grants to help students start sustainability projects on campus, involved purchasing and distributing Polycarbin AlphaCarbin recycling receptacles across eight participating labs, and coordinating the collection and return of filled receptacles to Polycarbin. Since April 2023, the lab has managed to recycle 199 kg of plastic, which have been recycled by Polycarbin into new pipette tips, pipette tip boxes, microcentrifuge tubes, and conical tubes for the Atsumi Lab to purchase and use. This small-scale recycling initiative has led to talks with the UC Davis Office of Sustainability on how to expand the program across campus for both research and teaching labs.


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UHPLC and HPLCHigh performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC), also known as UPLC, are analytical techniques used to separate, identify and quantitate components of complex mixtures including biological samples such as proteins and lipids as well as chemical mixtures of pesticides, drugs and oils. Both techniques are liquid chromatographic methods but differ by operating pressures (HPLC < 6000 psi < UHPLC ). Components of HPLC and UHPLC systems include columns, detectors, pumps, autosamplers and column heaters. Explore a range of UHPLC and HPLC columns for your specific sample needs including reverse phase, normal phase, ion exchange, HILIC, ion exclusion and size exclusion columns. For more specialized HPLC, explore FPLC, countercurrent LC and simulated moving bed systems. Find the best UHPLC and HPLC equipment in our peer reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.Atomic Absorption / Emission SpectroscopyAtomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) — also called optical emission spectroscopy (OES) — are used to detect the elemental constituents in samples. Both techniques involve the atomization of a sample. Atomic absorption spectrometers may use a flame or furnace to create an atomic vapor of the sample before irradiation with spectral light. Optical emission spectrometers may use a flame, inductively coupled plasma (ICP), microwave plasma (MP) or spark arcs to atomize and excite the sample. At higher excitation energies, electrons can be emitted instead of photons, which can be useful for samples that can’t be atomized and for surface analysis. Explore electron spectroscopy equipment such as Auger spectrometers and photoelectron spectrometers for surface elemental analysis of samples. Find the best atomic absorption, photoelectron and optical emission spectrometers in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.LC-MSLC-MS (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry) systems and equipment are used for separation and quantitative analysis of complex mixtures, combining liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Quantify proteins, contaminants, pesticides or screen for drug metabolites with a high level of sensitivity. LC-MS systems and equipment include reverse phase, normal phase and specialized columns integrated with various MS detectors such as time-of-flight (TOF), quadrupole, orbitrap or ion trap mass analyzers. LC-MS/MS instruments equipped with a qTOF or triple quadrupole analyzer give greater sensitivity and resolving power to your analysis. Find the best LC-MS equipment in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.Mass SpectrometryMass spectrometry (MS) is a powerful analytical technique used to identify and quantify molecules based on the mass-to-charge ratio of gas-phase ions. It provides detailed information about the structure, composition, and properties of compounds and is widely used across fields such as environmental monitoring, materials science, drug discovery and development, food and beverage testing, and wider chemical research. Key MS techniques include tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LS-MS) and inductively coupled plasma (ICP-MS). Choosing from these wide range of techniques and technologies can be a daunting task, so keep up to date with scientific applications, performance expectations, and customer reviews here all in one place. Visit our product directory to receive quotes direct from the manufacturer. UV-Visible SpectroscopyUltraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometers are used to measure the interaction of UV and visible light with a sample, including transmission, reflectance & absorbance. The two major instrument classes are single-beam or double-beam spectrophotometers. More specialized equipment includes colorimeters, spectroradiometers and refractometers. Portable and microvolume spectrophotometers are also available. For the modular spectroscopy lab, explore a range of light sources for combination with a spectrograph/spectrometer and optics. Find the best UV-Vis spectroscopy products in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.Environmental Monitoring and TestingEnvironmental monitoring and testing uses handheld portable analyzers, kits, spectrometers or chromatography systems for air, water, soil, food and other sample testing. Useful features of analyzers such as BOD and COD include portability, easy calibration, automation and sensitivity.  Environmental test kits for pH, water, moisture, etc, should be accurate, sensitive, reliable, fast and easy to use.GC-MS GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) instruments and equipment are used to separate, quantify and identify mixtures of small and volatile compounds, such as polycyclic aromatics, fatty acids and alcohols. Often used in drug detection, forensic investigation and environmental analysis for pesticides and contaminants, GC-MS is a powerful addition to your lab’s analytical capabilities. GC-MS/MS instruments equipped with a qTOF or triple quadrupole analyzers can give greater sensitivity and resolution to your analysis. Find the best GC-MS instruments and equipment in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.Water PurificationThere are a number of water purification methods available to remove contamination from laboratory water. These systems include demineralization, reverse osmosis, filtration and ultrafiltration. A combination of methods is sometimes necessary to achieve purified water suitable for use in experiments.Scientists Choice AwardsEach year, the SelectScience Scientists' Choice Awards celebrate the best products in the industry, as nominated and voted for by our scientist members.

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