Quotes and Testimonials from our Physicists

Erica Ellingson

University of Colorado Boulder

“It took only two days at the Center before I realized that this was what I had always dreamed doing science would be like. The Center was an ideal setting to bring together a group with similar interests to work and talk about our results and our future goals. We had a minimal schedule of formal talks; most of the interaction was in lively discussions at the blackboard or at the tables under the aspen trees. It was especially nice to see how well the relatively junior and senior scientists connected in this open and informal setting. I’ve never had an experience quite like this and I bring back with me new results, insights and collaborations and — best of all — a renewed understanding of why I love science.”

Assa Auerbach. Photo from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology Haifa

Assa Auerbach

Technion-Israel Institute of Technology

“There is no other venue in the world which can substitute for the scientific exchange of ideas at Aspen.”

Gil Refael

Caltech

“The Center provides an opportunity for us researchers to jointly contemplate the directions our fields should take and to determine the most interesting problems we should research and address. I think that Aspen, in this way, is crucial for maintaining the fabric of our research community. Without it, our sense of common mission and direction would be significantly impaired, making our scientific process of research and discovery much more individualistic and significantly less effective.”

Steven H. Simon, Photo from APS

Steve Simon

Oxford University

“In short, I honestly believe that this was the best workshop I have ever attended. The brainpower of the attendees was spectacular, and the overlap of interests between all attendees was very high. Perhaps most unusually, there was an extremely friendly atmosphere among participants which gave the workshop a relaxed and very productive feel. Imagine summer camp with all of your friends — where you just happen to spend all of your days discussing the most interesting physics problems on your mind!”

Gyan Bhanot Headshot

Gyan Bhanot

Rutgers University

“I discovered that it is a truly wonderful place to meet people, move projects forward and reenergize ones ‘ideas’ battery. I particularly liked that the talks were informal and were pitched at exactly the right level, assuming ‘zero knowledge and infinite intelligence.’ Finally, the hikes and nature walks were a delight. If there is a heaven for scientists, it probably is modeled on the Aspen Center for Physics.”

Fiona Burnell, Photo from University of Minnesota

Fiona Burnell

Oxford University

“As a first-time participant in Aspen it was lovely to have the chance to get to know some of the major figures in my field in a friendly and informal setting. Particularly nice for me was the fact that there were, relatively speaking, a lot of other women around, women who are farther along in their careers than I and therefore in a position to answer questions about the road ahead.”

Steven Cowley

Steven Cowley

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

“The key benefit of Aspen is that it leaves a trail of ideas that will stimulate my thinking over the next year or perhaps two.”

Veit Elser, photo from Cornell University

Viet Elser

Cornell University

“Thanks to the Center’s excellently maintained fleet of mountain bikes, I was able to get into ‘physical’ shape by riding up to the Maroon Bells, Ashcroft or Independence Pass on each of my days here. Many of my best ideas are developed during the long, quiet struggle against gravity.”