Coming Home: Trent Alum Bring National Mass Spectrometry Conference Back to Where it Started
Conference created by Trent professor returned to Trent after 22 years, showcasing innovation and leadership in the field
For the first time since 2000, Canada’s leading annual student-centred conference on the applications of mass spectrometry returned to Trent University, where it launched in 1983 by Trent University Chemistry Professor Raymond March.
This year’s conference—the 38th Annual Trent Conference on Mass Spectrometry—was organized by two Trent Alum, Dr. Derek Wilson ‘97 and Dr. Jeff Smith ‘96, who are the president and vice-president, respectively, of the Canadian Society for Mass Spectrometry.
“Mass spectrometry has always been very strong in Canada, and there's always been a desire to enable the collaborative nature of people to share ideas and challenge each other to push the envelope. You know, science is impossible without the people that do the science,” said Dr. Smith, a professor of Chemistry at Carleton University. “Professor March enthusiastically brought people together to share ideas in the field all the way up until 2000, when we started to grow out of the Trent space, and now we’re back because Trent is a great central location for academics to come together, and because of the advancement of its facilities.”
The conference brought together faculty and graduate student researchers from universities across Canada to talk about emerging applications and innovation with mass spectrometers—a scientific instrument used to identify a molecule based on accurately measuring its unique mass. The instruments are so precise that they can identify a molecule in a mixture of thousands of molecules and if it is present at extremely low concentrations.
From aiding medical diagnoses to detecting the presence or purity of a drug to identifying the biochemical mechanisms of someone’s illness, the conference showcased the expanding uses of mass spectrometers in fields like medicine and health, food science, space and astronomy research and more. And Trent continues to be a leader in the field, nurturing collaboration among academia, public institutions, the private sector and beyond.