Life at Institut Pascal

The interstellar institute participant guide

A program of the Interstellar Institute is not a regular conference. It is a temporary laboratory, made to foster discussions, develop new projects, establish new collaborations. We love to hear about your recent discoveries, but we are also aiming at the next new ideas, the ones that do not exist yet. This is why these meetings leave ample time for discussion and working sessions.

The activities at these programs combine somewhat classical 🦜Talks sessions, with ⚡️Lightning, 💥Thunder, and a lot of impromptu discussion and working sessions of variable sizes and scopes. This page describes various elements of the Interstellar Institute programs.

Scheduled events

Talks sessions

Every morning of the program there is a 🦜Talks sessions with four 15 min talks followed by plenty of time for discussion.

Lightning

Every Monday morning, participants are invited to present themselves in 45 seconds, using one slide. These are the ⚡️Lightning sessions.

Social events

Tuesday at 5pm we have our traditional Happy Hour with refreshments and snacks. Thursday evening we go to the Gramophone 🍽️, a small french restaurant located in Orsay next to the RER-B Orsay-ville station.

Thunder

On Friday afternoon, participants are invited to present work they have done during the week. This is on the voluntary basis, and each intervention should be just a few minutes long. We call these 💥Thunder

Improvised events

Salon meetings

Participants are invited to initiate group discussions on any specific topics. These "Salon meetings" can be planned or improvised on the spot. They are led by the participants themselves. You are invited to propose them on our Slack or at the end of the morning talks session.

Hybrid discussion and working sessions

The Institut Pascal is equipped with three connected rooms where meetings with remote participants can be easily organised. These rooms have large displays, wide-angle camera, high quality microphone and speaker, as well as electronic white boards, that allow to include remote participants into group discussions. Please do not hesitate to use them; simply ask the organisers or the Institut Pascal staff for instructions.

Facility

The Institut Pascal can host around 60 working guests in 9 single offices, 17 shared offices, 4 collaboration rooms and 2 amphitheatres organised around large meeting areas including a kitchen. There are no assigned offices during the program. You are free to use any free desk at any given time.

Every meeting room / amphitheatre is equipped with a Zoom video and audio system that facilitates the addition of remote people to your discussions.

Shared office

Collaboration room

Meeting room

Large amphitheatre

Services

Food

Lunches will be served Monday through Friday, free of charge for every participants. On Monday the lunch is served at Institut Pascal. From Tuesday to Friday we go to the local University restaurant. You are welcome to bring your own food if you prefer. There is a fridge and a microwave in the kitchen for you to use.

Coffee, tea, cakes and fruits are free of charge. You can help yourself in the kitchen next to the cathedral. There is also a coffee machine next to the printer behind the spiral staircase.

Once a week you will be invited for dinner, free of charge. We usually go to Le Gramophone, a local restaurant serving typical french cuisine.

Wifi, Ethernet, Printing & Slack

Eduroam is available everywhere at Institut Pascal. There is also a "Visitor" wifi network. If you wish to access it, please see our IPa program manager (their office is next to the cathedral). They will provide you with a personalised access code.

There is also Ethernet plugs in every office. If you wish to use those, you need to register your computer MAC address with the IPa administrator.

Printing is possible using a USB key on the local printers. You can also ask our IPa program manager for help.

Slack is our main way of communication. A specific Slack team will be created a few weeks before the program. Every announcement will be made in the General channel. You are encouraged to create new channels as you see fit.

Building access

The main entrance of the Institut Pascal will generally be open between 8:45am and 5:00pm from Monday to Friday. To enter the Institut Pascal building outside these access hours the IPa swipe card is required. For security and organisational reasons, their distribution is limited to the organisers and, exceptionally, to participants who are attending the program for an extended duration, and they must be returned before leaving. If you need to access the building outside of access hours please see our IPa program manager or one of the organisers.

Secure your belongings

Upon your arrival at the Institut Pacal you will notice that all office doors are open as they lock automatically when shut. If your door gets shut (it happens !) you can re-open it using the magical IPa swipe card. Please see one of the organiser or our IPa program manager to borrow one.

Each office is equipped with lockable cabinets for you to secure your laptop and other valuables. Please use them as office doors usually remain open during the day.