Participant Testimonials
I was very fortunate to attend the BIRS workshop on interactive information theory. As a computer scientist I don't usually get to interact with information theorists and electrical engineering researchers. This workshop provided me with such an opportunity. I have been working on applications of information theory in the field of computational complexity -- a subarea of computer science. The workshop has really impacted my research agenda in two ways. It exposed me to new ideas from information theory, which allowed me and my students to make progress on the problems we have been working on. At the same time, it made me aware of the problems and challenges in information theory to which the techniques we have been developing can be applied. I hope BIRS will hold another workshop in this area in the future years.
The workshop was very beneficial in getting people from related fields together. This is valuable to our community as it created a better awareness of the specific problems people are currently addressing, and available mathematical methods to address these problems. It also gave me an opportunity to meet and exchange with new researchers in my area. This too is of great value. I think that the BIRS workshop will have a definite impact on the research in our area (interactive information theory). It may take a few months or a couple of years for the seeds planted during the workshop to come to fruition.
The wonderful BIRS Workshop on Interactive Information Theory (Jan 16-20, 2012) afforded several intellectual benefits. I met and learned of the research of several computer scientists who work on areas related to my own but who normally do not attend the same meetings as I do. The tutorial lectures organized by Profs. Devroye, Khisti and Blake, as part of the Workshop program, were very useful. Several new and exciting ideas were discussed. My student, Himanshu Tyagi, gave a well-received one-hour tutorial which, I think, will have a beneficial impact on his future career in academia.
Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maryland
This has been perhaps one of the three best scientific gatherings I have ever been to. The small number of selected participants and the focused topic provided opportunity for intensive discussions. After this workshop there is a potential for at least 3-4 new collaborations, which is excellent and rare in other conferences.
Electronic Systems, Aalborg University
