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16 I N S I D E L A B O R AT O RY M A N A G E M E N T Q A O A C I N T E R N AT I O N A L Q MARCH/APRIL 2015
ACCREDITATION UPDATE
The dots on each board rep- The y axis is trueness, which or value, and the center of the sion, and uncertainty now
resent individual values. improves as one moves up board. Bias is shown as the allow us to clearly discuss
The x axis is precision, the axis. The values in (c) are difference between the middle our measurements. Consider
expressed as a standard not centered on the middle of several dots and the center the following discussion.
deviation, which decreases of the dart board, and in (a) of the board. The board with Without the improved
in quantity (i.e., improves) the values are centered on the best accuracy is (b). terminology: The method
as one moves to the right. In the middle of the dart board, was improved and the accu-
dart boards (b) and (d), the illustrating better trueness. Conclusion racy is better.
dots are more tightly grouped Error is shown as the dif- The terms accuracy, With the improved ter-
than in boards (a) and (c). ference between a single dot, trueness, error, bias, preci- (Continued on page 18)
I N S I D E L A B O R AT O RY M A N A G E M E N T Q A O A C I N T E R N AT I O N A L Q MARCH/APRIL 2015 17
FEATURE
Boison Wins 2015 Wiley Award nearly three decades he has worked for remained in Ghana, studying and teach-
the Canadian Food Inspection Agency ing. But he also wanted to do research
and as an adjunct professor at the and for that he needed to turn else-
University of Saskatchewan. where. He won scholarships in several
Its not a career path the soft-spo- U.S. and Canadian universities, and
ken scientist would have expected decided to go to Canada. Three decades
when he was young. In college at the later, hes a long-time Canadian citizen.
University of Ghana, he studied phys- Boisons Ph.D. research was in
ics, math, and physical chemistry. enology (winemaking)largely because
He got better grades in the first two he was interested in gas-phase chem-
fields, but like many budding analytical istry, and volatile chemicals are what
chemists he wanted something more distinguish the highest-grade wines
practical, so he picked chemistry. from the less expensive. In the pro-
At the same time, though, he cess of his research, he got to uncork
Joe Boison
turned down a chance at another prac- $1000 bottles of aged, classic wines
J
oe Boison is a Ghanaian-born tical career: medicine. My wife tells the crme de la crme of the vintners
physical chemist who drew on me I was unwise back then, he says productionthough, he laughs, at the
Ph.D. work in winemaking to with a characteristic laugh. But he also time, I didnt even drink.
revolutionize testing for veterinary anti- had a good reason for his decision, The difference between the good
biotics. He is also this years winner of because during his childhood, a terri- wines and the also-rans, he discovered,
AOAC INTERNATIONALs top scientific ble train accident had happened near involved volatile chemicals that could
honor, the Harvey W. Wiley Award, his homewhich, by coincidence, also be transferred to lower-grade wines
given annually to recognize career happened to be near the mortuary. in order to transform less expensive
accomplishments in analytical science. All I saw were doctors in white coats vintages into higher-grade ones. In
Born in Accra, Ghanas capital dealing with an enormous number of addition, lower-grade wines could be
city, Boison migrated to Canada to bodies, he says. I thought, No, I cant improved by removing bad chemicals
conduct his Ph.D. work at McMaster see myself being a doctor or patholo- from them, most of which involved
University, and then moved to gist dealing with this all the time. sulfur. (One of his graduate-school
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where for For the next several years he colleagues went on to own one of
Accuracy, Trueness, Error, Bias, Precision, and Uncertainty: What Do These Terms Mean?
Continued from page 17
18 I N S I D E L A B O R AT O RY M A N A G E M E N T Q A O A C I N T E R N AT I O N A L Q MARCH/APRIL 2015