January 19-21, 2018 WOOPS (Weekend of Open Problem Solving)

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We look forward to welcoming you to our Catksills retreat center for the third WOOPS!

Please fill out this Google form to let us know about your preferences for activities and meals, and pay your fee for food and accommodation through this link.

If you are attending with a spouse, please be sure to pay the registration fee for both attendees and fill out a separate google form for each attendee as well (except for the presentation topic, of course) so we have accurate survey counts.

Weekend Agenda

The tentative schedule for the weekend is as follows:

Friday:

  • 8:00 pm: Dinner; discuss current research interests
  • 10:00 pm: Drinks + board games

Saturday:

  • 7:30 am: Coffee and light breakfast available for early risers
  • 9:00 am: Breakfast
  • 10:00 am – 12:30 pm: Open problem presentations (20 minutes per speaker, roughly 10 minutes for describing open problem and 10 for questions)
  • 12:30 – 2 pm: Lunch
  • 2:00 – 5:30pm: Unstructured research discussions: people split up into groups based on interest in the open problems presented in the morning
  • 5:30 – 7:00 pm: Break with possible visit to local brewery based on interest
  • 7:00 pm: Dinner
  • 9:00 pm: Free time for more research discussions/drinks/board games

Sunday:

  • 7:30 am: Coffee and light breakfast available for early risers
  • 9:00 am: Breakfast
  • 10:00 am – 12:30 pm: Impromptu session with presentations on other interesting open problems/new research at the house with potential for “walking discussions” (a research take on walking meetings) over a short hike in Minnewaska State Park if weather permit (pictured above)
  • 12:30 – 2:00 pm: Lunch
  • 2:00 – 5:00 Unstructured research discussions, similar to Saturday afternoon
  • 5:00 pm: Main departure time
  • 7:00 pm: Light dinner for people who would prefer to depart after dinner
  • 9:30 pm: Final departures

 

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Frequently Asked Questions:

Where is the retreat center?

5 Rosenstock Road, Ellenville, NY 12428

How do I get to the retreat center?

There are three ways to reach our location:

  • Private vehicle (1.5 hours from Manhattan)
  • MetroNorth train to Poughkeepsie or Beacon and carpool to Ellenville
  • Direct bus from Port Authority in Midtown West to the town of Ellenville (2.5 hours, departing 5:30 from Port Authority and arriving right in time for dinner on Friday)

What is included in the registration fee?

  • all food and alcohol for the weekend (Friday dinner through Sunday dinner)
  • accommodation for two nights with peaceful views and nature-watching on-site

What activities (besides research) are available?

  • sauna
  • fire pit
  • ping pong, croquet, bocce, crazy waterslide hill and all the best board games
  • hikes, beer tasting, wineries, and grass-fed beef farms within 10-20 minutes
  • 1000+ square foot pub with movie projector

Where is the food coming from?

Gabi has a food background (her first blog was around 30-minute dinner parties and featured recipes from all over the world) and has often catered events in the 100-200s over the years. Expect everything to be healthy, primarily gluten- and dairy-free so we can all enjoy the same great food with lots of vegetarian options and many vegetables from our own mini-farm or other farms right in our village.