How does one examine a colloquium event so as to gauge whether it has been a success? I don’t know of a canonical way to do this but one obvious possibility re-studies the scientific goals proposed by the SOC. When I do do this, I find that the formal papers and the conversation have at least touched on every one of the enumerated topics.

I am going to make my own estimate by describing three precepts in the following sections and by drawing a conclusion after each of them. I make no claim that this procedure is novel. We came to the meeting with our individual funds of background knowledge according as we are, variously, specialists in some sub-topic of Algols or are stellar generalists, who know at least something broadly about these stars. I think that I fall into the latter category and this flavors my remarks.