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3141 Chestnut Street • Randell Hall, Suite 235 • Philadelphia, PA 19104-2875 • TEL 215.895.6372 • FAX 215.895.2142 • www.drexel.edu/international
Michael(Brewer(
”Graduate(Student”
College(of(Arts(and(Sciences(–(Physics
MODEST@15(Conference(
The" MODEST" (Models" and" Observa5ons" of"
Dense" Stellar" Systems)" series" of" conferences"
provide" a" forum" for" astrophysicists" doing"
both"observa5onal"and"theore5cal"(mainly"in"
the" form" of" computer" simula5ons)" work" on"
dense"stellar"systems"(primarily"star"clusters)"
to"present"and"discuss"their"work"with"other"
researchers" in" this" par5cular" subBfield" of"
astrophysics."""
MODESTB15" was" held" at" the" University" of" Concepción" in" the" city" Concepción," located" in" the"
country"Chile." " "The"conference"aKendance"was"approximately"100"people,"and"the"format"of"
the"conference"was"mainly"a"series"of"20Bminute"talks"given"by"some"of"the"aKendees,"in"which"
their" research" would" be" presented" and" then" discussed" during" a" typical" postBtalk" ques5on" and"
answer" session." " Addi5onally," poster" presenta5ons" (including" my" own)" were" present" at" the"
conference." "The"posters"were"introduced"with"a"series"of"oneBminute"presenta5ons,"followed"
by"a"dedicated"window"for"conference"par5cipants"to"view"the"posters"and"discuss"them"with"
their"authors"(aQer"this"~2"hour"5me"block,"the"posters"remained"on"display"un5l"the"end"of"the"
conference)."
The"conference"atmosphere"was"very"relaxed"and"invi5ng.""Perhaps"in"part"due"to"the"rela5vely"
small" size" of" the" community," the" majority" of" aKendees" (other" than" graduate" students)" were"
familiar"with"each"other,"and"the"conference"was"conducted"mainly"on"a"first"name"basis." "As"
someone"who"is"used"to"calling"professors"and"senior"researchers"by"appropriate"5tle"and"last"
name,"I"found"it"par5cularly"jarring"to"be"on"a"first"name"basis"with"dis5nguished"researchers"
such"as"Pavel"Kroupa,"the"scien5st"responsible"for"the"Koupa"Ini5al"Stellar"Mass"Func5on,"which"
appears" in" any" modern" astrophysics" textbook" that" discusses" stellar" mass" distribu5ons." " In"
addi5on" to" the" main" structured" por5on" of" the" conference," the" scien5fic" discussions" would"
con5nue"over"meals"(par5cularly"dinner)"and"coffee"breaks,"providing"a"more"freeBform"context"
for"intermingling"of"par5cipants"and"the"flow"of"ideas"(and"arguments)"between"researchers." "I"
was"able"to"interact"with"several"researchers"working"on"projects"similar"to"my"own,"opening"up"
the" possibility" of" having" more" comparisons" with" my" own" findings;" prior" the" this" conference," I"
had"not"come"across"much"published"work"on"the"same"problem." "While"perhaps"not"a"close"
collabora5on," knowing" other" researchers" working" on" similar" projects" provides" useful"
connec5ons"for"discussing"and"comparing"approaches"and"results"of"our"work."
The"picture"above"was"taken"on"the"campus"of"the"University"of"Concepción." "The"conference"
included"an"excursion,"in"which"we"toured"a"coal"mine.""Of"par5cular"note"is"that"the"coal"mine,"
situated"along"the"west"coast"of"South"America,"actually"extends"out"into"the"ocean,"such"that"
"
3141 Chestnut Street • Randell Hall, Suite 235 • Philadelphia, PA 19104-2875 • TEL 215.895.6372 • FAX 215.895.2142 • www.drexel.edu/international
during" part" of" our" trek" through" the"
mine,"the"ocean"was"over"our"heads"
just" beyond" the" rock" ceiling." " The"
next" image" (right)" is" of" the" coal"
inside"the"mine.""During"the"tour,"we"
were" instructed" to" (briefly)" turn" off"
our" flashlights," resul5ng" in" the"
deepest," most" absolute" darkness" I"
have"experienced."