what are these people doing?

Chris Morgan, the person on the left, in the red vest, makes puzzles. In the middle of the glass table is an object that the collective minds around the table, and some not shown have struggled to solve. The puzzle which is 8 magnets and six pieces of balsa wood, must stand more than eleven inches high, with at least one magnet at the top, and one magnet at the bottom. I believe many advanced degrees were involved in this solution. Joanne, seated on the right, gets the prize for persistence, and ultimately getting it to work.

This gathering of minds was a reunion of many of us from our early college days, living in the student coops of  Cloyne Court, and then onto Stebbins Hall. The evening collected us and our various friends who came from Boston, Chapel Hill, Bakersfield, Redwood City, Oakland, and far away Alameda. We missed the attendance of two friends from Anchorage and Reno, who hopefully, will be there next year. There was much grey or missing hair, a few pounds added here and there, but surprisingly little change in overall character. Tim Chang, the person responsible for the world calling me Agnes, had not lost any of his insanity. Which is a good thing.