Twelfth MaSC Workshop and Meeting

21 – 25 September 2026

Cologne, Germany

We are pleased to announce that the 12th Workshop and Meeting of the Users’ Group for Mass Spectrometry and Chromatography (MaSC) will take place in Cologne, Germany from Monday 21 – Friday 25 September 2026. The workshop will be held at two locations: the Cologne University of Applied Sciences, Südstadt Campus, and the German Mining Museum of the Leibniz Association, Bochum on 21 and 22 September. The conference will take place at the VHS Forum in the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum, Cologne on 23 and 24 September. There will also be a full day of training on using the ESCAPE method for GC/MS data analysis on 25 September at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences, Südstadt Campus.

Workshop, 21-22 September 2026

EGA-MS and Py-GC/MS: Complementary Approaches for Comprehensive Material Characterisation. Applications for PVC and elastomer analysis.

The identification of chlorinated polymers and elastomers in samples from heritage objects poses several challenges. In both, the presence of additives such as plasticisers, fillers, the effect of ageing, and/or the presence of complex blends or copolymers prevents a clear identification by spectroscopic means, so that pyrolysis techniques are necessary for precise characterisation.

Due to their relevance in cultural heritage collections, the timely and safe identification of these kinds of polymeric materials is paramount. The workshop will offer both theoretical and practical insights in dealing with their analysis in the heritage context, including the complementary use of EGA-MS and Py-GC/MS, and focusing on methodological and practical issues.

The theoretical part will be covered by Nathalie Balcar (C2RMF), who has long experience in the analysis of PVC in cultural heritage materials, Caroline Bouvier and Eleonora Pellizzi (Bibliothèque nationale de France) with expertise on elastomer analysis through the project ESPyON, as well as Michael Soll (Frontier Labs).

Participation in the workshop will be limited due to laboratory space constraints. Those wishing to attend will be asked to submit a short bio and paragraph describing their experience with Py-GC/MS and/or EGA-MS, including instrumentation, the materials they usually work with, and how they would benefit from the workshop by May 31. Applications for the workshop are no longer being accepted.

Meeting, 23-24 September 2026

The conference will take place at the VHS Forum in the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum, Cologne, and will comprise discussions and presentations on novel applications of chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques to the study of art and cultural heritage objects. Presentations of studies related to the workshop themes are encouraged, but contributions on a broad range of topics are welcome. We hope to create an informal atmosphere for the exchange of ideas, and discussions of work in progress are encouraged.

The deadline for abstract submission for a paper or poster presentation has been extended until June 15. The submission platform for abstract submissions is available now at https://www.conftool.org/masc2026

Conference Dinner

A Conference Dinner (at participants’ own expense) will be held on 23 September at Ludwig im Museum, the restaurant of Museum Ludwig, near the conference venue and close to Cologne Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Please note that dinner costs are not included in the registration fee; participants will pay individually at the restaurant.

For information on typical dishes and prices, please see the September 2025 menu. The final selection of six dishes for the Conference Dinner will be announced three weeks before the conference.

Registration for the dinner is binding but can be cancelled by 13 September.

ESCAPE workshop, 25 September 2026

A full day of training on using the ESCAPE method for GC/MS data analysis will be held directly after the workshop and meeting at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences, Südstadt Campus.

The ESCAPE workshop will formally mark the collaboration between the developers of ESCAPE and the MaSC Committee. The 2026 updates to the ESCAPE library and associated materials will be distributed at the workshop. The workshop will introduce the ESCAPE method of analysis and will give instruction on the use of AMDIS, how to copy/paste the report and x/y chromatogram data into a template, and the effective use of the ESCAPE Natural Template, in particular. As this is a hands-on workshop, participants are strongly encouraged to bring their own data files and their own laptop. By the end of the workshop, participants should be able to use AMDIS on their own data files, RI calibrate a GC run, do a library search, and feel comfortable using the Natural Template.

Please bring a laptop with the following software already installed:

• Microsoft Excel (recent Windows OS version or Windows 365).
• AMDIS. If possible, please install the most recent version 2.73 from https://chemdata.nist.gov/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=chemdata:amdis. This link also has helpful information on using AMDIS.
• NIST MS Search. Participants will get the most benefit from the workshop if NIST MS Search is installed on their laptops. This can be obtained from https://chemdata.nist.gov/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=chemdata:nistlibs  
• It will be helpful if the participants can use Zoom from their laptops, as we will use it to share data files and check their laptop configurations before the MaSC ESCAPE workshop.
• Ability (and permission) to use a USB key on the laptop during the workshop for both uploading and downloading.

Instructors will be Henk van Keulen (RCE) and Michael Schillling (GCI), assisted by Jenny Poulin (CCI), Nathalie Balcar (C2RMF), and Saskia Smulders (RCE).

We encourage everyone to attend the workshop, or at least to register at escape@mascgroup.org. Because the ESCAPE methods work best with well-executed chromatography, instructions for this, as well as the library and the templates, will be made available to all MaSC members who have registered with us at escape@mascgroup.org.

Registration and fees

You can now register to participate in the 12th MaSC Workshop and Meeting (21-25th September 2026) at https://www.conftool.org/masc2026 .

Please only register for the EGA/Py-GCMS workshop if you have applied and received a notification of acceptance. Without the notification of acceptance, you cannot take part in the workshop, and you might still be charged.

Registration for participation in the meeting and ESCAPE workshop is open to all.

The costs of the different parts are as follows:

Questions can be addressed to the local organisers, Ester Ferreira (ester.ferreira@th-koeln.de) and Elena Gómez Sánchez (elena.gomezsanchez@bergbaumuseum.de), or the MaSC committee at info@mascgroup.org.

Payments will be made to the Technische Hochschule Köln. If further payment information is required, please contact the local organisers.

Important deadlines

On behalf of the local organisation committee
Ester Ferreira and Elena Gómez Sánchez

And the coordinating committee of MaSC
Ilaria Bonaduce
Ester Ferreira
Catherine Higgitt
Christopher Maines
David Peggie
Jennifer Poulin
Ken Sutherland