The Best Conference I've Ever Attended

I've been in Stockholm all week for the 5th Plant Biomechanics Conference. It's an every three year thing, this time 105 people from 23 countries. I gave my talk today on the coiling of plant tendrils, and it was really well received. Generated a ton of good questions and compliments during and after the session. This was work done by Sarah T. during her junior and senior years, and thanks to Jon Strauss she's at the conference too, which has been great. I've never been to a small conference before, and it was the reason for this trip-within-a-trip, so it's easy for it to be a winner among conferences. Three years from now it will be in French Guiana, so between that and the favorable response to our work I have no doubt there will be more plant biomechanics for me!

In addition to conference things, the Stockholm highlights have been: dinner on Monday at the city hall. Fancy formal reception where they welcome the Nobel laureates. And this is where they used to have the big dinner after the awards (now it is in a bigger room downstairs).

On Wednesday everyone at the conference went on a two hour boat ride to an island on the edge of the Stockholm archipelago for dinner. I don't have any pictures that really capture it, but it was calm and beautiful.

We also really enjoyed the Vasa museum. It houses an amazing wooden boat brought up from the floor of the Baltic after 333 years. Crazy story - it sank 20 minutes into its maiden voyage. Pic shows the stern.

And in case you are wondering, Stockholm is where you can come to do the most expensive load of laundry ever. Wash+soap+dry set me back US$12 for one load!