Chemometric methods enjoy an ever-increasing popularity, and there is a need to introduce more graduate students to these research tools. This article describes an introductory course covering design of experiments, pattern recognition, and multivariate calibration. The course was composed of a series of formal lectures, seminars, and practical computer exercises followed by a project assignment tailored to each participant's own research. The teaching was focused to a few statistical methods, selected for their usefulness in solving chemical research problems. The mathematics was kept to a minimum, practical aspects and conceptual understanding were highlighted, and the exercises confronted the students with a diverse set of applications. The use of a ready-made training package—from one of the developers of chemometrics software—facilitated the course preparations and also provided the senior researchers with an opportunity for self-study. The challenge that now lay ahead at our university is to create an environment that can stimulate and support the future use of these rational methods for chemical research.
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