Participant Testimonials
One of the best workshops that I have attended so far. It brought together many of the world's leading senior galaxy formation theorists, in addition to promising young researchers and a few observers to "keep us honest." One of the best aspects was the large amount of discussion, both during the ample time allocated specifically for discussion and during the talks. The workshop was characterized by intense yet polite debate about many pressing issues. The discourse was quite technical at times (regarding e.g. concerns about numerical resolution of hydrodynamical simulations); for me, this technical discussion was highly informative. There were also very interesting "philosophical" conversations that caused me to step back and think more deeply about the way in which I do science. I found the skeptical nature of the discussion very refreshing, and it was a welcome change from the typical mode of simulation results being presented and received uncritically. I came away with a deeper, more nuanced understanding about galaxy formation simulations and an awareness of potential problems that I need to think about further. The workshop venue lends itself well to informal discussions over meals, during the tour of Monte Albán and sometimes late into the evening. These were enriching and beneficial in a general sense. Moreover, these interactions sparked a new research project: I am now working with one of the other participants to compare the results of my hydrodynamical simulations with his observations. Although he is already a collaborator, this particular project would likely not have been initiated had we not spent time together at the CMO-BIRS workshop. Overall, I commend the organizers for their excellent workshop!
TAPIR, California Institute of Technology
1) The workshop was extremely helpful for my research. As an observer, I do not have many opportunities to speak with the leading simulators in the field. The workshop provided the perfect opportunity to do this. I am now actively working on new projects as a result of this conference. 2) In addition, I felt that the size of the workshop, and the several discussions that were initiated between talks was ideal to maximize scientific input.
The workshop was a fantastic experience. The setting and format were perfect for a targeted scientific workshop with ample time for both presentations of new results and discussion of challenges our field faces. The particular focus on stellar and Active Galactic Nuclei feedback is one such challenge and having key world experts and young researchers in this area in the environment of BIRS was very productive.
This was an excellent in every aspects. I had a very productive time and learnt a lot. The location and the food were great.
