Coffee Meeting
An important part of iTHEMS is the Coffee Meeting
that is held every Friday at lunch time.
Let's take a peek into the event.
*Due to the COVID-19, we are now having remote meetings via Zoom.
The Coffee Meeting starts with a presentation of about 15 minutes.
Some current topic in science is chosen and explained in plain terms.
The iTHEMS members sit in chairs placed randomly in the coffee meeting room.
This creates an atmosphere that makes informal discussions easy.
Each member has his or her own style of participating in discussions and exchanging scientific information.
If something is unclear, the participants jump right in to ask questions.
Through the process of asking and answering questions, a deeper understanding of the subject is obtained.
After the presentation is over, the discussions continue.
Some ask questions to the presenter, and others talk to people around them.
There are plenty of white boards and blackboards in the room.
Mathematical formulas and figures are indispensable for more detailed discussions.
This provides an environment where researchers can share their thoughts quickly and accurately.
Each researcher in iTHEMS is conducting research based on his or her own interest.
By talking face to face at the Coffee Meeting, they can learn more about the other members’ research.
Understanding each other’s work induces interest in other fields, and promotes seeds for creating new ideas.