Activities: Having Fun Leads to Great Research

As the title says, we strongly believe that doing research without having fun leads to stress and unhappiness. Therefore, we take some time off and enjoy spending great moments together.

Ah, in case you didn’t notice it already, we like to prefix everything with “NECST”.

NECST Summer Workshop

The goal of the NECST Summer Workshop is a great opportunity for the members of the NECSTLab to present their work, get feedback, foster constructive discussion, and get to know each other in a tranquil and mind-refreshing place.

Every member of the lab spends months working on a project, but there is usually no time left to present them (except, of course, at conferences). Well, the goal of the NECST Summer Workshop is to fill this gap:

  • no time-pressure while presenting,
  • create a distraction-free environment where everyone is focused,
  • challenge yourself and learn how to present well,
  • receive early feedback on your work,
  • discuss ideas and plans for the subsequent year.

The NECSTLab is a multidisciplinary research environment, where several research areas and topics blend together:

  • security
  • performance evaluation
  • computer architectures
  • multi-core systems
  • reconfigurable systems
  • operating systems
  • CAD systems
  • evolutionary systems
  • cryptography applications

Consequently, also the NECST Summer Workshop is a multidisciplinary event.

You do not need to be an expert on anything to participate at the NECST Summer Workshop, but you must be able to listen to other people work, be determined to get involved and reason about many topics.

Venue and Travel

Where
Hotel Villa Gina, Goglio (Baceno): http://www.parcodeverovillagina.it/
When
Between the last week of July and the first week of August.

More information is provided in advance through the mailing lists (see Mailing Lists and Communication).

NECSTPizza

Every Friday, at 12:30, we have lunch together! It’s a great opportunity to chat with your colleagues and get to know each other.

If you want to participate, make sure that you are subscribed to our mailing lists (see Mailing Lists and Communication).

NECSTBreakfast

Do you want to meet all the NECSTLab members? Do you like to share your ideas and to be updated on the research done by the other NECSTLab folks?

The NECSTBreakfast is your event!

NECSTBreakfast is a time to socialize with other NECSTLab folks, find out what other people are working on, learn something new, and build new collaborations.

Enjoy free tea, coffee, cookies, and other goodies. Join us in the lab to have your breakfast with us while sharing your research ideas, successes and open issues!

We strive to follow the tradition and organize one NECSTBreakfast at the beginning of every month. However, that’s not always possible. Therefore, the best way to know when the next NECSTBreakfast is going to take place is to get subscribed to our mailing lists (see Mailing Lists and Communication).

NECSTMas

We enjoy spending Holiday time together. Every year, we organize a dinner followed by a gift-swapping game; traditionally, the so-called “Yankee Swap”.

When

The first Friday before December 23rd, unless differently announced through the mailing lists (see Mailing Lists and Communication).

Location

The location is usually a brewery/beer parlor in downtown Milan.

Yankee Swap Rules

  1. Participants bring one wrapped gift (you are not allowed to spend more than 5 euro for a gift) and places the gift in a pile/central location.
  2. Participants draw numbers to determine the order in which they go.
  3. The person who drew #1 goes first and must open a gift from the pile.
  4. The person who drew #2 goes next and has the choice of taking the gift opened by #1 or opening another gift. If #1’s gift is taken player #1 must open another gift from the pile.
  5. The person who drew #3 goes next and can either take #1’s gift or #2’s gift or open a gift. If player #3 takes an opened gift from player #1 or #2 then that player who is now giftless has the option of taking the other gift that was opened or opening a wrapped gift (they cannot take player #3’s gift – see rule 8).
  6. Play continues as such with players either taking/swapping a gift or opening one.
  7. When a gift is opened the round is over (you can’t decide you don’t like what you opened and decide to swap for something else).
  8. Any single gift can only be swapped once per round.
  9. Once the round for the highest number player has completed player #1 can swap gifts with any other player (there is no futher swapping after that).
  10. After taking your turn you must keep your gift out where other players can see it.
  11. When it’s your turn if you touch a wrapped gift you have to open it.
  12. If a participant takes too much time deciding which gift top swap/open the remaining participants can start counting aloud from ten down to zero. If zero is reached the participant must take the wrapped gift closest to you.
  13. A gift can be passed/taken just 2 times