About Us
The Lake Louise Workshop on Tandem Mass Spectrometry was initiated in 1987 by a group of international scientists working in the field and supported by the worldwide industry providing the instrumentation. The workshop continues to operate, now as a not for profit organization fully incorporated with officers, members and an organizational committee from several different countries, whose membership many of you will know.
As a science within Canada mass spectrometry has always had a significant place with excellent scientists choosing Canada as their place to work and publish. Of course like any other science there will always be a need to form a collective to share ideas and discuss new advancements. The Canadian Society of Mass Spectrometry provides an organizational structure that concerns itself with Canadian based scientists working in mass spectrometry. It has its own constitution, terms of reference, bylaws and membership. Many of the members of CSMS are also participants in the Lake Louise Workshop on Tandem Mass Spectrometry and some are members of the workshop’s organizational committee. This is a good thing since the workshop annually provides a platform to present cutting edge research on tandem mass spectrometry conducted both within Canada as well as throughout the world. In fact the original name of the workshop was the International Workshop on Tandem Mass Spectrometry held at Lake Louise, Canada.
Hence both the CSMS and the Lake Louise Workshop are in fact separate entities that work collaboratively towards a common goal of representing research in mass spectrometry. However, it is important to realize that the two organizations actually work independently. They both seek and request the support of allied industries. Funding received by each organization is used by that organization to further its efforts albeit those efforts are often similar or analogous. When a company supports the workshop they are not supporting CSMS other than the fact that the workshop does provide a platform that Canadian scientists can attend and present their work. Similarly when a company supports CSMS they are not supporting the workshop other than the fact that CSMS often chooses to use some of the funding received to support the travel of students to attend the Workshop.
It is critical to the success of both organizations that companies continue to support the efforts of each enterprise. It is also critical that companies realize that supporting one or the other does not support both. It is recognized by both organizations that it may not always be possible for companies to support every request made of them and that choices do have to be made especially when funding is tight. Both CSMS and the Lake Louise Workshop are highly appreciative of all the support they receive, they will continue to work harmoniously together and will each continue to approach their industrial stakeholders for help.
LLTMS Scientific Organizing Committee
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