Although I am a normally shy person, I find that at academic gatherings such as conferences and workshops, I can very easily talk to people. "What do you work o

Although I am a normally shy person, I find that at academic gatherings such as conferences and workshops, I can very easily talk to people. "What do you work on? / What is your topic area?" is such an easy question and they are guaranteed to have a long interesting answer. Its rare to be in a spot to have so many people around you with common interests, it should be easy to get people talking.