This past weekend, 20 of the applied mathematics graduate students gathered in Franklin, NH for our first (annual?) department retreat, organized by Michael Snarski and myself. The goals of the retreat were to stimulate scientific interactions, introduce first-years to the mathematical energy of the department, and refresh our minds in a beautiful natural environment.
I personally had a great time! The fresh air lent the whole weekend a very positive atmosphere which seemed conducive to mathematical activity. The retreat was also a great way to catch up with what others are working on, and to get to know the new students in our department.
We spent the mornings doing math, with awesome workshops led by August Guang and Michael, and some short research talks given by Ivana Petrovic, Leroy Jia, Melissa McGuirl, Clark Bowman, and Alexandria Volkening. In the afternoons, we enjoyed the surroundings with some relaxing hikes and excursions on the lake.
Special shoutouts to: our department chair Björn Sandstede for his feedback, support, and encouragement; Gautam Kamath from MIT for the initial idea and some preliminary help with logistical aspects of the trip; Guo-Jhen Wu for a lot of behind-the-scenes help and early brainstorming; and all the participants for sharing their mathematical ideas, driving, cooking, cleaning, and basically making this weekend happen.
Here are a few pictures!
