2018 Bronze Medal Award

Dr. Forbes and Dr. Sisco are recognized for their pioneering work in the development of several new ambient ionization mass-spectrometry techniques that allow, for the first time, spatially resolved chemical analysis of both inorganic and organic explosives on real-world surfaces. This development expands the analysis of explosives materials to the analytically challenging but critically important area of homemade explosive formulations, which are difficult to detect with currently deployed technology. These new measurement capabilities are being adopted by relevant instrument manufacturers in their trace-detection equipment, leading to better tools for national security and improved public safety.