The history of RMTM is rooted in a series of similar retreats held across North America. These are known as: (i) Midwestern University Fluid Mechanics Retreat (or Mufmech, http://mufmech.org/index.html), (ii) the Cawowasco meeting, and (iii) the Thousand Islands Fluids Meeting (or TIM, http://timfluids.com/). These meetings have been ongoing for over 20+ years. They play a useful role to introduce students to faculty who attended, but more importantly, it enables each group of students to build up their peer group, to share ideas and insights. The purpose is to bring together students and faculty who share a common interest in the discipline of Fluid Mechanics and who wish to share their advancements of its knowledge. A presentation of a talk has never been a prerequisite for meeting attendance. The meeting is informal, with only a short abstract required for submission and a full paper containing no constraints on length.

TIM 2012
Probably the most interesting aspect of these meetings are the rules which facilitate the informal nature and welcoming environment. For the 2020 meeting, each speaker will be allowed exactly 15 minutes to communicate uninterrupted. A five-minute discussion period will follow. We encourage further discussion at another time during the meeting. Each session is chaired by a faculty member who is deemed the KOTGOM – Keeper of Time and Giver of Marbles. Throughout each session, the KOTGOM may distribute marbles to those to break any of the rules as stated below:
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Participants mention the names of funding agencies, such as: Alberta Bureau of Pedestrian Fluid Mechanics.
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Participants refer to the other participants using a title, such as: Professor, Doctor, Student, Your Excellency, The Grand Wombat, Oh, Exalted Science Wizard, etc.
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Speaker exceeds the 15 minutes allocated for speaking (1 Marble for each minute).
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Illegible text or images on presentation slides.
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Participants interrupt the speaker.
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Participants arrive late for a session.
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Any other infraction deemed worthy by the KOTGOM.
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Participants awarded Marbles must contribute $1.00 per Marble to the refreshment/food fund and return their marbles to the KOTGOM.