Progress

Today was another typical conference experience, when good things happen quickly and unexpectedly. Spurning the bus after yesterday's experience, I walked up to the campus from the railway station in time for a terrible hour-long first plenary from a big name that I'd never heard speak before: I caught up with some sleep! The second was such a contrast, giving me more ideas for a project to suggest to the potential PhD student I met later. The speaker was very eminent, but I happened to find her alone afterwards and our quick chat initiated an email exchange. Then, over coffee I had the good discussion with my EDF contact that had failed to happen yesterday.

After lunch I walked over to ENSTA to meet a student whom I taught in 2020 and is studying there now. She's considering applying to do a PhD with me, so it was a timely chance to have a good chat. Indeed, we spent most of the rest of the afternoon together, as we had coffee and patisserie before walking around the campuses of École Polytechnique and ENSTA.

The photo is of the amazing machine that's building the overhead metro line across the whole area.