The University of Surrey was closed today, as it kindly gives all, or most, staff a bit of extra holiday around the Easter weekend. However, it was also the host site of this year's Institute of Physics Nuclear Physics Group conference, so I was in work as an attendee and local organising committee member (though really the chair Paddy Regan has done almost everything from the local commitee point of view).
It was nice seeing my colleagues from all over the UK and a few from farther afield. Even before the pandemic-enforced cessation of face-to-face conferences it was probably a few years since I last attended one of the national ones, and it has been great to see old friends and colleagues.
The picture below was taken by the conference chair, and posted on Twitter. I am in the picture, just, over at the right though quite cropped. I'm wearing the stripy jumper and clearly part of a funny conversation with Kate Jones (University of Tennessee) and Carl Wheldon (University of Birmingham). I think we were remembering the time around 20 years ago when we were all at the University of Surrey together.
As well as meeting old colleagues, I saw some recent ex-undergrads who are now PhD students. My faviourite part of the day was talking to them, not least because they told me that my lectures were their favourites when then were undergraduates. A lovely thing to say, and I could feel myself blush when they did so!
