MRRL Annual Retreats

Annual Retreat 2022

The Magnetic Resonance Research Lab’s 10th Annual Retreat!!

Date and time: Monday 9/12, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Tentative Schedule:
9:00 - 11:30 am, Group discussions (UCLA Meyer & Renee Luskin Conference Center - Discovery Room)
11:30 am - 1:00 pm, Family style lunch at Plateia (UCLA Meyer & Renee Luskin Conference Center)
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm, Carpool to the beach (near the Annenberg Beach House)
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm, Group activities at the beach

Photo Contest Winners

Annual Retreat 2021

The Magnetic Resonance Research Lab’s 9th Annual Retreat!!

Date and time: Friday 9/24, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Schedule:
8:30 am, Meet at UCLA and car pool
9:00 am - 11:30 am, Hiking in Malibu (Malibu Creek)
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm, Family style lunch at Plateia (UCLA Meyer & Renee Luskin Conference Center)
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm, Outdoor activities (2nd Floor, Engineering IV Patio)

 

Annual Retreat 2020

We will have our first virtual retreat this year!!

Date and time: Friday 9/25, 09:00 - 17:30

Location: Virtual meeting room

Schedule:

Morning Session
09:00 - 09:45, Drawing Class: Heather Wilbur, "My Pet Monster"
09:45 - 10:30, Ice-Breaking "Who am I" Game
10:30 - 11:30, Career Panel: Dr. Stan Rapacchi and Dr. Jiaxin Shao
11:30 - 12:30, Perspectives from Clinicians: Dr. Ashley Prosper
12:30 - 13:00, Lunch Break

Afternoon Session
13:00 - 14:00, MRRL Discussion
14:00 - 15:00, Ask the PIs Anything
15:00 - 16:00, “How to” Sessions: How to Write a Paper
16:00 - 17:00, Research Ideas for MRRL Collaborations
17:00 - 17:30: Prize Time! Voting for Photo and Logo Contests
17:30 - 19:00: MRRL Movie Night (optional)

Photo Contest Winners

Annual Retreat 2019

The Magnetic Resonance Research Lab’s 7th Annual Retreat!!

 

Our goal is to have fun, talk science, and work at becoming a better team.

Dates: 10/18 (Fri) - 10/19 (Sat)

Location: Running Springs, CA

Pali Retreat: 30778 CA-18, Running Springs, CA 92382

What to bring: sleeping bags (pillow and blankets) for twin size bed, towels, toiletries, jacket, sunscreen.

Tentative Schedule:

10/18 (Friday)

9:00am: Meet at UCLA and car pool (Le/Ben)

9:30am - 11:30am: Drive to lunch spot

11:30am - 12:30pm: Lunch at Rosalva's Skyforest (28575 Hwy 18, Skyforest, CA 92385)

12:30pm - 1:00pm: Drive to trail head (https://hparboretum.com/)

1:00pm - 3:00pm: Hike - Snacks - Group photo (Le) - Divide into 2 teams (Ran)

3:00pm - 3:30pm: Drive to Pali retreat center

3:30pm - 4:00pm: Check-In and find a field for sports

4:00pm - 5:00pm: Outdoor sports - Kickball (student from Kyung's group)

5:00pm - 6:00pm: Career panel (Chang/Le)

6:00pm - 7:00pm: Dinner

7:00pm - 8:00pm: Who am I game (Ran)

8:00pm - 10:00pm: Campfire

 

10/19 (Saturday)

8:00am - 9:00am: Breakfast

9:00am (photo contest closes) - Submit your Photos by 9:00 am :)

9:30am - 10:15am: MRRL intro/Ask the PIs anything (Kyung)

10:15am - 11:30am: MRRL discussion/research ideas/new committees (Kyung)

11:30am - 12:00pm: Photo Contest (Le)

12:00pm - 12:30pm: Pack up

12:30pm - 1:30pm: Lunch

1:30pm - 3:00pm: Outdoor sports; Check-out before 3 pm

3:00pm -  Heading back to LA!

Photo Contest Winners 

 

Annual Retreat 2018

The Magnetic Resonance Research Lab’s 6th Annual Retreat!!

 

Our goal is to have fun, talk science, and work at becoming a better team.

Dates: 9/21 (Fri) – 9/22 (Sat)

Location: Running Springs, CA

Pali Retreat: 30778 CA-18, Running Springs, CA 92382

What to bring: sleeping bags (pillow and blankets) for twinsize bed, towels, toiletries, jacket, sunscreen.

 

Tentative Schedule:

9/21 (Friday)

9:00am: Meet at UCLA (Car pool)

9:30am - 11:30am: Drive to Neo’s Pizza House

11:30am - 12:30pm: Lunch at Neo’s Pizza House, 32000 Hiltop Blvd

12:30pm - 1:00pm: Drive to trail head

1:00pm - 4:00pm: Hike - Group photo - Divide in teams

4:00pm - 4:00pm: Check-In

4:00pm - 6:00pm: Outdoor sports - Kickball

6:00pm - 7:00pm: Dinner

7:00pm - 7:30pm: PI introduction

7:30pm - 8:30pm: Career Panel

8:30pm - 9:30pm: Hot research topics discussion

9:30pm - 10:30pm: Who am I? Game

10:30pm - Campfire

 

9/22 (Saturday)

7am: Group run / hike / walk / swim!

8:00 am (photo contest closes) - Submit your Photos by 8:00 am :)

8:00am - 9:00am: Breakfast

9:00am - 10:00am: Ask the PIs anything

10:00am - 11:00am: MRRL discussion/new committees

11:00am - 12:00pm: Photo Contest

12:00pm - 12:30pm: Pack up and check out

12:30pm - 1:30pm: Lunch and check out

1:30pm - 2:30pm: Sports

2:30pm - Free time and heading back to LA!

Photo Contest Winners                                             ​​​​​

Annual Retreat 2017

The Magnetic Resonance Research Lab’s 5th Annual Retreat!!

 

Our goal is to have fun, talk science, and work at becoming a better team.

Dates: 9/29 (Fri) – 9/30 (Sat)

Location: Running Springs, CA

Pali Retreat: 30778 CA-18, Running Springs, CA 92382

 

Tentative Schedule:

9/29 (Friday)

9:00am: Meet at UCLA (Car pool)

9:30am - 11:30am:  Drive to Rocky’s Roadhouse

11:30am - 12:30pm: Lunch at Rocky’s Roadhouse

1:00pm   - 3:30pm: Hike - Group photo - Divide in teams

3:30pm   - 4:00pm: Check-In

4:00pm   - 6:00pm: Ultimate frisbee - Modified dodgeball

6:00pm – 7:00pm: Dinner

7:00pm   - 7:30pm: PI introduction

7:30pm   - 8:00pm: Who am I? Game

8:00pm – 9:00pm: Debate on AI/Deep learning

9:00pm – 10:00pm: Trivia

10:00pm – … : Campfire / Minute to Win It

 

9/30 (Saturday)

7am: Group run / hike / walk / swim!

8:00 am (photo contest closes) - Submit your Photos by 8:00 am :)

8:00am - 9:00am: Breakfast

9:00am - 10:00am: Career Panel

10:00am - 11:00am: Photo contest

11:00am - 11:30pm: Pack everything up

11:30am - 12:30pm: Ask the PI anything with moderator, ways to make MRRL better, new committees

12:30pm - 1:30pm: Lunch

1:30pm - 2:30pm: Water Balloon Volleyball

2:30pm - Free time and heading back to LA!

Photo Contest Winners

Annual Retreat 2016

The Magnetic Resonance Research Lab’s 4th Annual Retreat!!

Our goal is to have fun, talk science, and work at becoming a better team.

Dates: 2016/8/26 (Fri) – 8/27 (Sat)

Location: Santa Barbara, CA

Hiking: 9000 W. Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265

Camp Whittier: 2400 Hwy. 154 Santa Barbara, CA 93105

8/26 (Friday)
8:30am: Depart from UCLA (Car pool) – Contact Patrick if you need a ride.
10am-1:30pm: Meet at a park for lunch (bring your own!) and a hike.
1:30pm-2:30pm: Finish drive to Camp Whittier
2:30pm – 3:00pm: Check-in/Group Photo – Peng
3:00pm – 5:00pm: Sports activities (Volleyball/Badminton/Horseshoes/Ping Pong/Hiking/etc.) & Free Time – Split into teams for organized tournaments!
5:00pm –6:00pm: Group activity TBD –Patrick (Who am I, Icebreakers)
6:00pm – 7:00pm: Dinner
7:00pm – 8:00pm: PI Career Discussion (Career Building, MyIDPs, Networking, ResearchGate, LinkedIn)
9:00pm – ???: Trivia / Cards / Foosball / Ping pong / ETC –Tess (trivia) Sam and Thomas – Minute to win it games

8/27 (Saturday)
7am: Group run / hike / walk / swim!
8:00am-9:00am: Breakfast & Submit your Photos (photo contest closes)
9:00am-11:00am: Open discussion (How to make our group better? What creates culture? Panel discussion with faculty; assign committees; Ask us anything…) –PI (Questions before hand)
-Topics? Suggestion Box/Questions/Concerns
11:00am-12pm: Photo contest & award -Shams
12pm to 12:30pm: Pack your bags!!
12:30pm-1pm: Lunch.
1pm: Check-out
2pm – Free time and heading back to LA!

1. List of Items to Bring:
sleeping bags/bedding
pillows
towels
toiletries, sunscreen
Balls/games/frisbees

2. Carpool:
We are planning to carpool. Drivers will be reimbursed. Everyone should leave from UCLA Med Plaza by 9 AM on Friday. Contact Patrick for a ride.

3. Photo Contest:

Everyone is encouraged to take part in the Photo Contest!
You just need to send in a picture that you took at the retreat (or on the road to the retreat)!!

Submission instructions:

Email your photo(s) to Shams or give them to him on a USB drive.

Submit your photos to one of these CATEGORIES:
– People
– Scenery/strong>
– MR Physics
– something at the retreat that reminds you of MR Physics [if it is not obviously MR-related, then you should explain how in the caption]
– Random (for everything else)

Rules:
– please send photos to Shams by 9 AM on Saturday at the latest
– photos must be taken during the retreat or on the road to the retreat (you cannot use an old photo)
– MAKE SURE TO indicate the submission category
– photos can be of anything (person(s)/animal(s)/structure(s)/scenery)
– each submission may include an optional caption of 120 characters or less
– you may edit your photos (change colors, make a collage or add labels, etc.)
– Optional: it will be very helpful if you can format the photo filename like this: yourname_category_n_caption.jpg example: shams_scenery_2_this is my caption.jpg

Acceptable formats:
JPEG/TIFF/PNG/BMP/DICOM [i DARE you to make a READABLE dicom from a retreat photo]

All submitted photos will be presented to attendees on Saturday in a blinded fashion, and the winner(s) for each category will be chosen by voting. All submitted photos will be posted on the MRRL website.

There will be award(s) for the photo contest, so be sure to participate!

Annual Retreat 2015

The Magnetic Resonance Research Lab’s 3rd Annual Retreat!!

Our goal is to have fun, talk science, and work at becoming a better team.

Organizing Committee: Daniel Ennis, Kyung Sung, Holden Wu, Peng Hu, Thomas Martin, Ziwu Zhou, Samantha Mikaiel

Dates: 2015/10/9 (Fri) – 10/10 (Sat)

Location: Big Bear, CA
Big Bear Retreat Center
527 Knickerbocker Rd
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

10/9 (Friday)
8:30 am: Depart from UCLA (Van/Car pool)
12pm – 1pm: Lunch @ Rocky’s Roadhouse in Running Springs, CA (32150 Hilltop Blvd Running Springs, CA 92382 (909) 939-0501)
1pm-4pm Hiking in Big Bear
4pm – 4:30pm: Check-in/Group Photo
4:30pm – 6:00pm: Sports activities (Volleyball/Badminton/Horseshoes/Ping Pong/Hiking/ETC) / free time
6:00pm – 7:00pm: Group activity TBD
7:00pm – 8:00pm: Dinner
8:00pm – 8:30pm: Lab Introductions
8:30pm – ???: Trivia / Cards / Foosball / Pingpong / ETC

10/10 (Saturday)
7am – Group run / hike / walk / swim!
8am – 9:30am: Breakfast
9:30am – 11:30am: Open discussion (How to make our group better? What creates culture? Panel discussion with faculty. , assign committees , Ask us anything…)
11:30am – 12pm: Photo contest & award
12pm – 1pm: Lunch
1pm: Check-out
2pm – Heading back to LA!

1. List of Items to Bring:
– bath towel and beach towel
– hiking shoes (running shoes OK, hiking shoes/boots better)
– sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, swimsuit, beach sandals
– insect repellant
– toiletries (soap/shampoo not provided)
– (recommended) sleeping bag/pillows/blankets/ inflatable mattress
– (optional) cards, games, frisbees, soccer/basket/volley ball
– (optional) good camera for photo contest/group website pictures
Attendees, please keep in mind that it can get cold in the evenings/early mornings.

2. Travel/Carpool:
We are planning to rent vans. Vans will leave from UCLA Med Plaza by 9 AM on Friday.
Please let us know if you are interested in van pooling. We need a vanpool headcount as soon as possible.

In addition, if anyone is interested in bringing their own car and can give someone else a ride, please let us know, too.

3. Photo Contest Instruction:
– each participant may submit one or more photos to Shams by email/flash drive/SD card by 9 AM on Saturday (earlier is better)
– each submission may include an optional caption of 120 characters or less
– photos must be taken during the retreat at Big Bear (you cannot use an old photo)
– photos can be taken with any kind of camera (remember, in most cases a better camera produces a better picture)
– photos can be of anything (person(s)/animal(s)/structure(s)/scenery)
– all submitted photos will be presented by PowerPoint to attendees on Saturday, and the winner(s) will be chosen by voting.
– all submitted photos will be posted on the group website.

There will be award(s) for the photo contest!

Annual Retreat 2014

The Magnetic Resonance Research Lab’s 2nd Annual Retreat!!

Our goal is to have fun, talk science, and work at becoming a better team.

Organizing Committee: Daniel Ennis, Kyung Sung, Tess Armstrong, Junfei Lu, and Andres Saucedo

Dates: 2014/10/3 – 10/4

Location: Newport Beach, CA (tentative) Link to Property: click here

Schedule:
10/3 (Friday)

  • 9am: Depart from UCLA (Van/Car pool)
  • 10am – 12pm: Group Activity
  • 12pm – 1pm: Lunch
  • 1pm – 3:30pm: Sports activities (Volleyball/Soccer/Swimming/etc.)
  • 3:30pm – 4pm: Check-in
  • 4pm – 5pm: Introductions with “Who am I ?” game.
  • 5pm – 6:30pm: Career Discussion
  • 6:30pm – 8pm: MRRL Research Update & Dinner @ The House
  • 8pm – ???: Trivia/Cards/Music

10/4 (Saturday)

  • 7am – Group run/walk/swim!
  • 8am – 9am: Breakfast
  • 9:00am – 10:30am: Open discussion. “Ask a PI anything…” & “How to make MRRL even better?”
  • 10:30am – 11:00am: Group photo
  • 11:00am – 12pm: Photo contest & award; Check-out.
  • 12pm – 1pm: Lunch & Retreat Evaluation Forms
  • 1pm: Head back to LA!
  • 1pm: (Optional) Hang out/activities in Newport

1. List of things to do before retreat:
– Sign-up for car pool
– Send email with “Who Am I?” game responses
– Submit a question for “ask a PI anything”
– Send music for retreat playlist

1. List of Items to Bring:
– bath towel and beach towel
– hiking shoes (running shoes OK, hiking shoes/boots better)
– sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, swimsuit, beach sandals
– insect repellant
– toiletries (soap/shampoo not provided)
– lunch for Friday (Oct 3rd) (snacks and drinks will be provided)
– (recommended) sleeping bag/pillows/blankets/ inflatable mattress
– (optional) favorite game for the beach or the house (can bring cards, board games, etc.)
– (optional) good camera for photo contest/group website pictures

2. Travel/Carpool:
We are carpooling. We will have at least 6 drivers. Departure plans will be arranged by the driver. Plan to leave by 9 AM on Friday and arrive at Crystal Cove State Park in Newport, CA by approximately 10am.
We will give out instructions by email. Contacts Andres if you are would like to volunteer to drive.

In addition, if anyone is interested in bringing their own car and can give someone else a ride, please let us know, too.

3. Photo Contest Instruction (Contact Isabel)
This year we will have the famous photo contest. Please bring your camera! Then take pictures during the retreat, and submit your pic(s) to one or more of the following categories:

  1. People
  2. Scenery
  3. Whatever

The pictures will be rated according to the following criteria, specific to each category:

  1. unique
  2. interesting
  3. whatever

Please submit only up to two pics per category.

The following rules apply:

– each participant may submit one or more photos to the Google Drive and into the appropriate folder for the category you want to be considered for.

– Ideally, submit ppt-slide with pic and caption (less work for me), or upload pic and caption as .txt separately, where pic and caption have the same filename (so Isabel can put things together).

– each submission may include an optional caption of 120 characters or less

– photos must be taken during the retreat

– photos can be taken with any kind of camera (remember, in most cases a better camera produces a better picture)

– all submitted photos will be presented by PowerPoint to attendees , and the winner(s) will be chosen by voting.

– all submitted photos will be posted on the group website.

– there will be one winner in each category.

Good luck! There will be award(s) for the photo contest!

4. “Who am I?” Session Instruction:
We will play a “Who Am I Game?” where we try to guess the identity of each attendee based on four facts that each of you will provide in an e-mail to Patrick. The list of four facts will be revealed one at a time and the audience will get a chance to shout out answers after revealing each fact. Please answer the following questions in a reply e-mail to Patrick. This will just be a fun way to learn more about each other.

  1. Attach the 3rd image returned from a google image search of your name. If for any reason this image is actually you (we don’t want a picture of you), send the first one next to it that is not actually you.
  2. If you HAD to take a week off and leave LA, all expenses paid, where specifically (more detailed than just the country or state) would you go? You can optionally include a picture but it is fine not to.
  3. Describe your zombie apocalypse survival plan in 10 words or less. (For those unfamiliar with the concept- if you found out zombies were attacking at this very moment, what is your course of action to stay alive? For example: “get to high ground”)
  4. What is your favorite place/meal to eat near UCLA?
  5. What is your secret dream job or hobby (cannot be related to work whatsoever)?
  6. How many hours and in which direction (northeast, southeast etc.) would it take for you to fly to where you grew up directly.
  7. How long have you been at UCLA?

Questions? Inquire with Patrick or Eric!

Descriptions of Various Activities:

  1. MRI Jeopardy:
    Teams of each lab will be competing in MRI themed Jeopardy game. There will be prizes!
  2. Career Discussion Brainstorm:
  3. Open discussion:
    Ask a PI anything? How can we make MRRL better? We will discuss ideas about how to improve our group. We will take questions/suggestions anonymously. Please bring ideas!
  4. Retreat Evaluations: Please fill out and submit evaluation forms to let us know how we can improve the retreat. We will give them out at the end of our retreat.

Annual Retreat 2013

The Magnetic Resonance Research Lab’s 1st Annual Retreat!!

 

Our goal is to have fun, talk science, and work at becoming a better team.

Organizing Committee: Daniel Ennis, Kyung Sung, Shams Rashid, Eric Aliotta, Tess Armstrong

Dates: 2013/9/13 – 9/14

Location: Big Bear, CA
Singing Pines Lodge
657 Modoc Dr.
Big Bear Lake, CA
Phone – 909.866.2532

Schedule:
9/13 (Friday)

  • 9 am: Depart from UCLA (Van/Car pool)
  • 12pm – 1pm: Lunch @ Rocky’s Roadhouse in Running Springs, CA (32150 Hilltop Blvd Running Springs, CA 92382 (909) 939-0501)
  • 1pm-4pm Hiking in Big Bear
  • 4pm – 4:30pm: Check-in
  • 4:30pm – 6:00pm: Sports activities (Volleyball/Badminton/Horseshoes/Ping Pong/Hiking/ETC)
  • 6:00pm – 7:00pm: Free time (reading, more games, showers!)
  • 7:00pm – 8:00pm: Dinner @ the lodge
  • 8:00pm – 8:30pm: Introductions with “Who am I ?” game (Dan & Eric)
  • 8:00pm – ???: Trivia / Cards / Foosball / Pingpong / ETC (Tess & Shams)

9/14 (Saturday)

  • 7am – Group run / hike / walk / swim!
  • 8am – 9:30am: Breakfast
  • 9:30am – 10am: Group photo
  • 10am – 11:30am: Open discussion (How to make our group better? What creates culture? Panel discussion with faculty. Ask us anything…)
  • 11:30am – 12pm: Photo contest & award, Group/Server Name Brainstorm (Kyung & Shams)
  • 12pm – 1pm: Lunch @ the Lodge.
  • 1pm: Check-out
  • 2pm – Heading back to LA!

1. List of Items to Bring:
– towel
– blanket
– hiking shoes (running shoes OK, hiking shoes/boots better)
– sunscreen, sunglasses, hat
– insect repellant
– toiletries (lodge does not provide soap/shampoo)
– hiking/walking shoes
– water for the hike (1-2 liters)
– (optional) good camera for photo contest/group website pictures

Attendees, please keep in mind that it can get cold in the evenings/early mornings.
Temperatures: 70s @ midday and 40s @ early morning.
You may need a jacket to participate in the 7 AM group run/hike/walk activity on Saturday.

2. Travel/Carpool:

We are planning to rent one or two vans. Vans will leave from UCLA Med Plaza by 9 AM on Friday.
Please let us know if you are interested in van pooling. We need a vanpool headcount as soon as possible.

In addition, if anyone is interested in bringing their own car and can give someone else a ride, please let us know, too.

3. Photo Contest Instruction:
– each participant may submit one or more photos to Shams by email/flash drive/SD card by 9 AM on Saturday (earlier is better)
– each submission may include an optional caption of 120 characters or less
– photos must be taken during the retreat at Big Bear (you cannot use an old photo)
– photos can be taken with any kind of camera (remember, in most cases a better camera produces a better picture)
– photos can be of anything (person(s)/animal(s)/structure(s)/scenery)
– all submitted photos will be presented by PowerPoint to attendees on Saturday, and the winner(s) will be chosen by voting.
– all submitted photos will be posted on the group website.

There will be award(s) for the photo contest!

4. “Who am I?” Session Instruction:
We will play a “Who Am I Game?” where we try to guess the identity of each attendee based on four facts that each of you will provide in an e-mail to Eric. The list of four facts will be revealed one at a time (hopefully on a projector with PowerPoint) and the audience will get a chance to shout out answers after revealing each fact. Therefore, start off vague (humorous is good too!) and work your list towards an increasingly obvious third fact (but NOT your name). The final fact should be something about your research. This will just be a fun way to learn more about each other.

Questions? Inquire with Dan or Eric!

5. Group and Server Name Brainstorm:
We are going to have a brainstorming session on Saturday to select an awesome name for our group and our group server.
So everyone please bring your ideas!