Workshop in Banff

I attended a workshop (on entropy rates of hidden-Markov processes) related to my research in Banff, Canada. It's in Alberta, near Calgary, in the Canadian Rockies. I remembered to pack shorts for the trip, but forgot to bring my coat. As you can see in the picture, I didn't need it. :) Four layers of shirts make an okay substitute for a coat.

The workshop was very fun. It was very different than conferences that I've been to. It had only one session. All of the speakers spoke for an hour, including me. There were only about 30 people there, and it was fun getting to know them. There were some people math and statistical physics, and I think nine information theorists. On some nights the workshop went until 9pm, including a problem sessions where we discussed open problems.

My talk went as well or better than I had hoped. I got the audience involved by teasing them with puzzles related to my topic. Several people told me afterwards that they really enjoyed the talk and found it fascinating. I was worried that I wouldn't have enough to say and that what I did say wouldn't be related enough to be interesting. I'm glad it went well. Some people thought it was interesting that I would encounter hidden-Markov entropy rates in communication problems.

We had one afternoon off that several of us used to climb Sulfur Mountain, which you see in the picture. It was beautiful there, and we stayed in a nice place (the Banff Center) that had sports facilities and a nice dining room with a view.