First joint meeting of the Research Training Group GRK 2423 FRASCAL
The first joint meeting of the new Research Training Group GRK 2423 FRASCAL took place at the Zentralinstitut für Scientific Computing (ZISC) on February 15, 2019. Doctoral researchers, associate doctoral researchers and postdoctoral researchers were present.
Each researcher was welcomed with her or his own personal welcome sign and some information material on the Research Training Group. This included a handbook containing important aspects of the concept and structure of the GRK. Last but not least, everyone received a specially designed GRK 2423 FRASCAL mug.
Once the attendees were well equipped, the spokesperson of the Research Training Group, Prof. Paul Steinmann, welcomed all the researchers. He then made a presentation that introduced the idea and the common goal of FRASCAL to the fellows of the RTG.
He especially emphasized that all those involved in FRASCAL are in one team. The team must pull together and achieve the common objective, which is to enable doctorates of the highest standards to be obtained within three years.
Thereafter, the research and qualification programmes were explained in detail. The great opportunities afforded by the integration of international collaborators was highlighted. These include:
- The Mercator Fellows:
- Prof. Elias Aifantis,
- Prof. Michael Ortiz,
- Dr. Laurent Ponson,
- and through the involvement of the members of the external advisory board (who are all experts with a science background from industry):
- Dr.-Ing. Karsten Kolk,
- PD Dr.-Ing. Ralf Meske,
- Dr. Thomas Münz,
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Siegfried Russwurm.
Prof. Steinmann particularly encouraged the doctoral researchers to exercise strong personal initiative. For example, to make their own suggestions for seminars, to invite visiting researchers, to work together on research questions. Also, to plan social events, such as barbecues or international buffets, in order to strengthen the team spirit.
Following this very informative and entertaining presentation, everyone involved got to know each other better in a relaxed atmosphere with „Krapfen“ and coffee. It was clear to all that the FRASCAL team spirit had been awakened.