Academic research groups celebrate the departure of students that move to industry or other research groups. The success of the research group depends on managing student turnover as graduates move on to positively impact other laboratories. Turnover, is essential at the academic level, contrary to industry where the departure of an experienced scientist is a significant loss and where personnel changes can jeopardize operations. However, at academic, government, and industrial labs there is a need to create expertise in near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and chemometrics, which are important elements of Process Analytical Technology (PAT).

This article describes an experiment performed in the training of new undergraduate and graduate students who start their research in this research lab. The same exercise could be performed in an industrial setting for personnel that move to a unit dedicated to PAT. The exercise is easy to conduct and does not require toxic or expensive components. The principal requirement is the availability of a Fourier Transform near infrared spectrometer. This article is a complement to a previously published exercise described in this journal, which explained the changes in spectral baseline observed in near infrared spectral applications.¹ This article also facilitates the training of students and scientists new to NIR spectroscopy.