Evaluations from the Mini-Course on Variational Methods and Nonlinear PDE
May 28 - June 7, 2002

1. Overall, did you find the mini-course worthwhile and enjoyable?
   • It is just excellent.
   • Definitely. I learned a lot and was made to feel very welcome by all of the participants.
   • Yes, although it was a little tiring.
   • Yes.
   • Yes.
   • Yes, the course was enjoyable and very informative.
   • Yes.
   • Yes.
   • Very much so. I learned an incredible amount here.
   • Yes.
   
   
   
2. Was the mini-course what you expected? If not, what were your expectations?
   • It was much more than I expected. I did learn a lot.
   • It was much better than I expected.
   • Exactly what I expected.
   • Pretty much, although it was clear that most of the attendees had a much stronger PDE background than I did. I felt a little behind most of the time.
   • This mini-course is what I expected.
   • Yes.
   • More or less yes. It was an introduction to the subject with some applications.
   • Yes.
   • Yes.
   • Yes.
   
   
   
3. What did you hope to gain from the mini-course? Were you successful?
   • Topic for my thesis.
   • To have some basic idea of variational methods. I definitely gained what I wanted.
   • I had hoped to see the theory of variational methods applied to a variety of problems, and to gain a solid understanding of this theory. Both goals were met.
   • I hoped to learn about variational methods. I not only learned about variational methods, I learned about functional analysis, multivariable calculus, and PDEs as well.
   • I hoped to gain more exposure to calculus of variations and functional analysis. I learned a lot.
   • I hoped to gain a broader understanding of the types of research going on in PDEs. The course certainly provided an opportunity for this.
   • An introduction to variational techniques. Yes.
   • I wanted to get an idea for what sort of problems are "out there", so I could decide what to do for my thesis. I was very successful. Some of the lectures presented very recent work that I thought were very interesting.
   
   
   
4. Were the lectures too elementary, too advanced, or at about the right level?
   • The lectures were just right there for me - understandable, interesting.
   • I think they were at the right level. There was some variation in difficulty, which was good.
   • Most of the lectures were at the right level. A few of them were maybe too advanced/technical.
   • Most of them were about right. It went a little fast for me because I don't have a strong PDEs background, but I could still get the main ideas and some of the details. The only exceptions were some of the geometry talks. Professor Treibergs, for example, lost me completely within the first ten minutes of his talk.
   • Most were at a good level, but some lectures flew through the material and I felt lost.
   • They were varied and thus provided all levels of difficulty. This was a good point.
   • The lectures were at the right level.
   • At about the right level.
   • Lectures were in general at the right level. There were fruitful and interesting connections between the covered topics. Analytic and geometric viewpoints nicely complemented each other.
   • At first, I thought they were a little too elementary, but they progressed nicely - almost to being too advanced. But at the right level.
   • Right level.
   
   
   
5. Were there too many, not enough, or about the right number of lectures?
   • I think it is fairly enough.
   • About the right number.
   • I think there were maybe a few too many lectures.
   • I think the number of lectures was about right. The days were pretty intense, but I would cut back on some of the other stuff, not the number of lectures.
   • I think there were a good number of lectures, but it was a very intense two weeks.
   • There were enough lectures, since it could require some way to present topics of interest for everyone.
   • About right.
   • About the right number.
   • Just a little above the right number.
   • I think a couple more lectures might have been nice, but mostly because I thought the speakers were so good and I wanted to hear more. Of course, I don't know where more lectures would have fit in the schedule.
   • More would have been too much.
   
   
   
6. How valuable did you find the group projects?
   • I had a chance to learn.
   • I really didn't think the group projects were useful. It would have been nice if we had maybe used that time for the students to give talks on what they were working on at their respective universities. This also would have been a nice variation for variational methods.
   • I thought the projects were a good idea. The students had the chance to explore a topic of historical interest and discover connections with the material from the lecture. Since I thought the presentations were well done, this goal was achieved. In addition, students also got to learn from the other groups.
   • It was good to work with people from other schools. I think we could've been given a more specific project, though. We floundered around for quite awhile trying to figure out what to do.
   • I liked the group projects because we really had to work together to figure things out.
   • The group projects were good, but could have been more extensive - in place of lectures.
   • They encourage us to look at some specific aspect of the calculus of variations. At the same time, they took time off study, since preparing a presentation takes an awful lot of time.
   • The topics of the group projects were well chosen.
   • They were very good. I ended up learning a lot of new very neat material.
   
   
   
7. How valuable did you find the discussion sessions?
   • We had a good review right before each lecture.
   • Very valuable. Even though some of the discussion sessions were quiet, others were very helpful and well worth the time.
   • Useful as a forum for questions, it was also very helpful to have a discussion of a previous lecture coming right before the next in the series. This was an opportunity to stress important points and summarize.
   • They were very useful when there was discussion going on. When the presenter was just repeating the previous day's lecture, though, I didn't get much out of it.
   • Overall, the discussions were good. Whenever I had a question, I felt it was answered well.
   • They should have interacted with the professors more, since many led to silence.
   • Very valuable, especially since faculty was available to answer and clarify questions.
   • Very.
   • Discussion sessions revealed most valuable. They clarified a number of delicate points.
   • They were quite helpful. It was nice to have a little recap of what went on.
   
   
   
8. Was there enough time and opportunity to interact mathematically and socially with the other participants?
   • We had barbecue, went hiking, enjoyed the picnic. It was a very good time.
   • Yes, but because of living arrangements, it was much easier to get to know the non-Utah students.
   • There was enough time to interact socially with the other participants. Perhaps a shorter lunch and a longer morning break and an afternoon break would have been more conducive to mathematical interaction.
   • Yes and no. I spent quite a bit of time with the other people who were visiting from other schools. I hardly spent any time at all with the people from the University of Utah.
   • Yes.
   • No! After six hours of lectures, I'm too tired to talk about anything. Make the group work happen before the end of the day.
   • Yes.
   • Yes.
   • I thought so... Maybe a little more hiking would have been OK. But again, I don't know where that would fit in the schedule.
   • Too little time for this.
   
   
   
9. Were logistical arrangements and administrative issues handled satisfactorily?
   • Yes, they were.
   • Definitely. I've been very pleased.
   • Yes.
   • These were all wonderful.
   • Wonderfully. Praise to Sarah.
   • Yes.
   • Yes.
   • Yes.
   • Yes.
   
   
   
10. Were the department facilities (library, computer access, study areas, classroom, etc.) adequate?
    • Yes.
    • Yes.
    • Yes - very good.
    • Yes, great!
    • Yes!!!
    • Yes.
    • Yes.
    • Yes.
    • They were wonderful.
    
    
    
11. For those of you visiting from other institutions, were the accommodations acceptable?
    • They were great.
    • The accommodations were fine, but I would've preferred more information about what to expect before I got here. For example, there was no clock in the room. Had I known that ahead of time, I would've brought one along, instead of having to buy one. I also would've brought a radio had I known there would be no TV.
    • I wish someone would have told use how humble our rooms would be - no clocks, one very small paper thin towel, a very thin pillow, etc. I would have packed more of this from home.
    • Beautiful.
    • Very acceptable. Lodging was good. Food at the dining hall was good too.
    • Yes.
    • Yes.
    • Yes.
    
    
    
12. What could have been done differently to make the mini-course more valuable and/or enjoyable?
    • Everything was perfect.
    • Replace group projects with student presentations of their research interests.
    • 1) Provide more information up front regarding the lodging. 2) Reduce, eliminate, or restructure the discussion sessions. If the students have questions, the discussion sessions are great. There should be a backup plan to fill the time constructively if the students don't have questions (or just aren't sure what to ask) though.
    • I think it might have been less intense to stretch the material over more time, but realistically I don't think anyone would want to take more time out of their busy lives. So, I would keep things the same.
    • More time interacting, less time listening!
    • More time for the group presentations.
    • Discussion sessions should not be directly before next lecture.
    
    
    
13. If you knew a student who was interested in a future mini-course at the University of Utah, would you encourage them to apply?
    • Sure.
    • Definitely.
    • Yes.
    • Yes, definitely.
    • Yes, definitely although I would tell them to take an alarm clock, pillow, and towel.
    • Absolutely.
    • Yes.
    • Definitely.
    • Yes.
    • Definitely.
    • Yes.
    
    
    
14. Any additional comments?
    • It was great, and I hope more universities offer programs like this one.
    • Thanks for the fun two weeks!
    • I like the 1/2 hour morning breaks and the 1 1/2 - 2 hours for lunch. These breaks helped me keep my sanity. :)
    • The Wednesday afternoons off were nice, but we could have Saturday off.
    • Lecture notes should be given before the discussion sessions so that we can prepare better for the discussions.
    • It was wonderful to be able to have lectures from Jean Mawhin. He was excellent.