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HGS MathComp - Where Methods Meet Applications

The Heidelberg Graduate School of Mathematical and Computational Methods for the Sciences (HGS MathComp) at Heidelberg University is one of the leading graduate schools in Germany focusing on the complex topic of Scientific Computing. Located in a vibrant research environment, the school offers a structured interdisciplinary education for PhD students. The program supports students in pursuing innovative PhD projects with a strong application-oriented focus, ranging from mathematics, computer science, bio/life-sciences, physics, and chemical engineering sciences to cultural heritage. A strong focus is put on the mathematical and computational foundations: the theoretical underpinnings and computational abstraction and conception.

HGS MathComp Principal Investigators are leading experts in their fields, working on projects that combine mathematical and computational methodology with topical research issues. Individual mentoring for PhD candidates and career development programs ensure that graduates are fully equipped to take up top positions in industry and academia.

07.04.2025 - 11.04.2025
10:00 - 14:30
Theory & Methods
Romberg Course: Quantifying extreme events in uncertain systems
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Compact Courses
Speaker: Prof. Georg Stadler • New York University • Romberg Visiting Scholar
Location: Mathematikon • Seminar Room 9, 4th floor • Im Neuenheimer Feld 205, 69120 Heidelberg
Registration: Please register here • Registration open until April 3, 2025
Organizer: HGS MathComp
ECTS: 2
This course is part of the HGS MathComp Romberg Program.

The course will consist of 90-minute theory sessions in the morning (10-12) and practical sessions on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon (1-2:30).

In systems with uncertain parameters or white noise forcing, one often focuses on low-order statistics such as means and variances. However, when rare/extreme events have severe consequences-such as hurricanes, energy grid blackouts, or building collapses-estimating tail probabilities becomes crucial. This mini-course will first discuss the challenges of rare event probability estimation. It will then introduce key methods for exploring tail probabilities, including importance sampling, subset simulation, and optimization-based techniques for identifying dominating points in rare event sets.

Prerequisites: Basic undergraduate Probability, Optimization and Analysis.
 
10.04.2025
09:00 - 13:00
Key Competences
Effective Visual Communication of Science
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Compact Courses
Speaker: Dr. Jernej Zupanc (Seyens)
Location: Online
Registration: Please register on the event website
Organizer: Graduate Academy
ECTS: 0.5
This course is part of the course program of the Graduate Academy. Please note that this course will be held in English.

The latest information and a registration link are available on the course website (log in with Uni-ID).

HGS MathComp fellows can get a reimbursement of the course fees. Please submit your proof of payment and certificate of participation to hgs@iwr.uni-heidelberg.de.

Aim:
You will learn to visually communicate your complex research ideas and results so your messages are effortlessly understood by any specific audience (scientists or non-scientists). We will not focus on aesthetics but on how understanding human visual perception can inform your design decision for better comprehension of your scientific images, posters, and slides. You will also design a graphical abstract of your research, discuss it with peer scientists in a group exercise, and get actionable advice and feedback on your own materials. It is an immersive workshop, comprehensive, structured, memorable, easy to follow, useful and fun. More at https://www.seyens.com

Contents & Method:

The training is offered as blended learning that combines a self-study module and a live online workshop. All participants get 12 month access to all materials.

1. Self-study via an online platform (6-8 hours of engaging video content & a useful assignment):
1.1. Communicating with scientific vs non-scientific audiences
1.2. Visual perception and what humans find intuitive
1.3. Layout: simplifying comprehension through structured layout
1.4. Eye-flow: effortlessly guide the audience through the design
1.5. Colors: how to amplify, not ‘fancify’
1.6. Typography for legibility, structure and aesthetics
1.7. Digital images in science: the optimal use of vector and raster images
1.8. Slides that amplify messages and don't distract when presenting
1.9. Posters: strategy and process for creating posters that attract and explain
1.10. Homework: participants submit images and slides to the trainer to receive feedback
2. Live Online Workshop (April 10, 2025, 9 am – 1 pm via Zoom, interactive and hands-on)
2.1. Recap of fundamentals and Q&A: trainer facilitates an effective recap of lessons learned in self-study module and answers all further questions.
2.2. Exercises & group work: participants draw a graphical abstract of their research and share their posters and we form groups so everyone gives and receives informed feedback.

Discussion on pre-submitted materials: participants receive actionable suggestions on how to improve their own images and slides from the trainer and on posters from fellow researchers.
 
08.05.2025 - 22.05.2025
13:00 - 17:00
Key Competences
Introduction to programming with Python
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Compact Courses
Speaker: Boyana Boneva (codeprehensible) & Kevin Leiss (codeprehensible)
Location: Online
Registration: Please register on the event website
Organizer: Graduate Academy
ECTS: 2
This course is part of the course program of the Graduate Academy. Please note that this course will be held in English.

The latest information and a registration link are available on the course website (log in with Uni-ID).

HGS MathComp fellows can get a reimbursement of the course fees. Please submit your proof of payment and certificate of participation to hgs@iwr.uni-heidelberg.de.

This course introduces the general-purpose programming language Python, which is used by web developers, data scientists and machine learning experts. Understanding the basics of Python will allow you to grasp the concepts of tools you might encounter and quickly apply them to your own research.

Within the scope of this course, you will master the Python philosophy, syntax, and writing your own scripts and modules. In addition, you will use your newly acquired skills to perform hands-on exercises and learn to conduct reproducible in-silico research. After completing this course, you will be ready to start your own Python journey and delve deeper into the world of Data Science.

Requirements: No previous programming knowledge is required! We will use our own server platform for the course, therefore no additional installation of software is needed.