Quite appropriately, given the theme of science transcending boundaries, I’m actually writing this from Kish (کیش) island, Iran, in the Persian Gulf, where I am attending the International Iran Summer School on Quantum Information 2008 (IISSQI08). The summer school is a follow-up to the International Iran Conference on Quantum Information (IICQI07) which took place last year, also on Kish island. The reason that both events have been held here is that scientists from some countries have problems getting visas to enter mainland Iran, and conversely, citizens of Iran have problems visiting certain countries. Kish island is a “free zone” and hence the most logistically convenient place for both sides to meet.
Barry Sanders, iCORE Professor of Quantum Information Science at the University of Calgary and one of the organizers, has written two reports about his experience at last year’s conference:
It is now the middle of the second week of the summer school, and my experience has been marvelous. In addition to learning about quantum information, I have met many enthusiastic students who are really eager to speak with foreign scientists. They wanted not only to find out about the state of quantum information research outside of Iran, but also (and especially) to learn more about the outside world in general.
– davinci
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