The Neural Information Processing Systems (NIPS) conference is one of the premier scientific meetings on Machine Learning and Neural Computation. Every year, it gathers researchers from all over the world which share a common interest in the study and development of (possibly biologically inspired) artificial learning systems within the framework of computer science and applied mathematics. Presentation topics include learning algorithms and architectures, learning theory, neuroscience, bioinformatics, cognitive science, vision, speech, signal processing, reinforcement learning and control, implementations, as well as diverse related applications.
For the last six years, the meeting has been held in British Columbia, Canada. The first part, which includes the tutorials and the conference presentations, takes place in Vancouver. For the second part, which includes the workshops, we move to Whistler, a nearby mountain resort famous for its beautiful landscapes and its popularity among winter sports lovers.
This year, I am attending NIPS for the first time in my life. The experience so far is being great. I feel that I am learning a lot and I am loving the opportunity to closely interact with fellow researchers in person. During the last few days, I have had the opportunity of standing face to face with many of the authors of the books and papers that I have been reading for the two or three years, and this is something that I will never forget. I almost feel tempted to ask some of them for an autograph… but I guess that wouldn’t be proper behavior, since we are all colleagues after all. Aren’t we? :-P
Question: How do you measure the level of geekiness of a scientific conference?
Answer: By details like this:
(photo taken this morning, showing a scientific paper which “spontaneously” appeared on the wall next to one of the elevators at the conference hotel)
