Banff International Research Station

A couple of weeks ago I had a great experience at the Banff International Research Station (BIRS). A small group of us organized a "research in teams" event at the institute on the subject of "Analysis and Computation of Vector Functionalized Cahn Hilliard Equations and Application to Amphiphilic Materials." Sounds fun, right? Actually, I am really into this stuff. The Research in Teams events are limited to four participants. Here was our group:

The BIRS facility is part of the Banff Centre. The room we had to meet in had great blackboard space (for mathematicians, this is actually important) but also a great view:

We had three buffet meals a day. Quite good food and also a great view:

Near the Banff Centre there were plenty of short hikes. Below left are the Bow River falls:

We took Wednesday afternoon off for a hike at Lake Louise:

So far, I have made it seem that all we did was hike and eat, but we actually worked pretty hard. In a week it is hard to sort out specific technical questions, but we did do some. More importantly, we outlined a series of papers that we believe will be quite influential in both the Mathematics and Polymer Chemistry fields (and work that we can almost claim is all doable). The mathematical models we looked at describe the micro- and nano-scale structures that form in activated polymer materials that are key to new energy technologies (fuel cells, batteries, solar cells) and also have biochemical applications. In addition, their analysis is mathematically challenging. BIRS activities are funded by governments (Canada, Alberta, USA). Thank you taxpayers: I think what we did was useful and it was a lot of fun. 

My issues with cycling etiquette

I have been planning (for many years, don't hold your breath) to write a longer blog post on advice on commuter cycling. I would have an etiquette section, here is a sample of the discussion. This has been made fresh in my mind by my recent experiences cycling on the 10th Ave route. I usually take the route North of Broadway when cycling to work at UBC. However, there is a deep gully with steeply sloping sides just West of Clarke on that route that is hard to face, especially coming home at the end of my ride. The 10th Ave route has gentler slopes in general and not that discouraging, steep down and then up of the other route. However, the 10th Ave route is much more crowded and many of the cyclists behave badly (by my standards). Here is the story, depicted below.

Cyclist 1 has come to an intersection and is waiting for the light to change. He or she has helpfully pressed the cross-bike button. A second cyclist comes up behind and has three options:

• Queue up behind cyclist 1 (circle 3). I have some British heritage, so this is my option.
• Gauge the relative strength of cyclist 1 to yours. If they look stronger, follow circle 3, otherwise circle 2. You may have misjudged and if you do, you correct your choice at the next intersection. I find this strategy acceptable, but few follow it. Rather, they: 
• Always follow circle 2. In general, these cyclists always push their way forward, even if it means delays for other cyclists.

On a very busy route, the circle 2 strategy can have variants. Sometimes three or four lanes of bikes open up as cyclists move up past circle 2, then past those that have moved past circle 2, etc. I couldn't stand the prevalence of this strategy, so have gone back to my old (more difficult but less popular) route. 

My carpentry "skills" in action

I have a hobby of building things out of scrap (or low cost) wood. Interestingly enough, "repurposed furniture" is quite a hip thing these days, but I was a visionary: see my old post here. Of course, I was never going to sell the idea with my name, "scrap wood carpentry". I haven't done much of this in the intervening years, but recently I built a shelf in my room, pictured below. We're always short of book storage, and this high shelf for paperbacks adds a lot of capacity with no loss of floor space. I was happy with it, although I know it would not be well finished enough for anyone that cares about those things. I wouldn't swing on it - I have a stud finder but apparently studs are not always so easy to find.