Reflections on Minneapolis

28 October 2009

I'm in Minnesota this week at the 28th Annual Conference of the American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR). The term "aerosol" means a suspension of particles in a gas. Aerosol science is remarkably challenging and has a surprisingly diverse array of applications. More than 700 papers will be presented this week on topics ranging from airborne infectious disease transmission to the contributions of forest fires to global warming and to the use of aerosol processing technologies to make improved solar photovoltaic cells.

The annual meeting sites are now in a three-city rotation, deliberately spread around the US. Last year we met in Orlando and next October we'll be meeting in Portland. I was just elected to a leadership position in the organization, which commits me to at least the next three meetings. Being in mid-sized cities like these is key to finding a good balance between locations that are pleasant and yet economical.

We're in a hotel just on the edge of downtown Minneapolis. My room looks out over the high-rise buildings of the city core and also the Metrodome where the Twins and Vikings play. A few miles further east is the Mississippi river.

I shot these photos yesterday. The sky was brilliantly blue and cloudless. I took off some time in the afternoon to wander through the downtown area and then walk down to the river at St. Anthony Falls, seen at the top of the post.

The visual characteristic of downtown Minneapolis that appeals most to me is the extensive use of reflective glass surfaces on the outer shell of the high-rise buildings. These photos illustrate some of the interesting reflections of buildings off of the surfaces of other buildings. In the photo at the bottom, I was looking at three elements: the reflective surfaces, the interesting shapes, and the pattern of illumination, which itself is the result of reflections of the sunlight from yet another building.

Today it is overcast and cold. There is a break in the technical program, so it is a good time to get caught up on some other work.