I’ve just returned from an exhilarating two weeks at the International Conference on Automated Planning and Scheduling (ICAPS) in Banff, Canada, and what an adventure it was!
My journey began at the ICAPS Summer School, where I joined 39 other participants from across the globe. The week-long program treated us to eight invited talks, covering a spectrum of topics — from the challenges of automated planning in airborne applications to NASA’s integration of autonomous decision-making into its spacecraft systems.
While there, I also got to engage in a number of hands-on lab sessions focused on task and motion planning, two areas I had little prior experience in but found that I really enjoyed.
I then transitioned into attending the main ICAPS conference itself, where I had the opportunity to present two workshop papers — my first ever academic conference presentations! It was a great experience (hopefully the first of many) and the questions and feedback I received from everyone I believe will greatly improve my work.
Beyond my own research contributions, I also got to attend a number of other presentations and panels, including a few talks from researchers at NASA that I really enjoyed.
The conference itself then culminated in a memorable banquet dinner, complete with a Blocksworld competition and fun talk from a Banff wildlife photographer.
Then, the following day, I took some time to explore Banff National Park and soak in all its stunning views:
So in sum, I had an incredible time 😊.