Second PITHIA-NRF Training School

The “Second Training School of the PITHIA-NRF Plasmasphere Thermosphere and Ionosphere Integrated Research Environment supported by T-FORS Machine Learning models” was held in KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium, from 5 to 9 February 2024. The school offered:

lectures on the physical mechanisms acting in the Earth’s Ionosphere, Thermosphere and Plasmasphere as parts of the coupled Sun-Earth system;
theoretical lectures on the TIDs triggering mechanisms and detection methodologies and practical courses on the data processing methodologies for TID detection and forecast models;
hands-on session on accessing data collections and models, and analysing the results.

The school addressed research scientists and engineers at all levels. The participation of PhD students and early career scientists was specifically encouraged.

Please view below or visit the dedicated webpage for detailed information.

Programme

The Programme is available below and here in pdf (downloadable) format.

Time (CET)	Mon, 5 February 2024	Tue, 6 February 2024	Wed, 7 February 2024	Thu, 8 February 2024	Fri, 9 February 2024	Time (CET)
08:30						08:30
		*Walk in*	*Walk in*	*Walk in*	*Walk in*
08:45						08:45

09:00						09:00

09:15						09:15

09:30						09:30
		"Foundamentals in thermosphere" Sean Bruinsma (CNES) aula 00.08	"LSTIDs: sources, propagation characteristics, detection techniques" David Altadill (OE) aula 00.08	"MSTIDs: sources, propagation characteristics, detection techniques" Sivakandan Mani (IAP-L) aula 00.08	Work Groups in Action aula 00.08 & Dijlezaal M00.A1
09:45						09:45

10:00						10:00

10:15						10:15

10:30						10:30
		*Coffee Break*	*Coffee Break*	*Coffee Break*	*Coffee Break*
10:45						10:45

11:00						11:00
		"ML-AI" Giovanni Lapenta (KU Leuven) aula 00.08	"Ionospheric data assimilation models" Ivan Galkin (BGD) aula 00.08	"TID nowcasting models - MSTIDs (focused on CDSS)" Tobias Verhulst (RMI) aula 00.08	Work Groups in Action aula 00.08 & Dijlezaal M00.A1
11:15						11:15

11:30						11:30

11:45						11:45
			"Themospheric models" Sean Bruinsma (CNES) aula 00.08	"TID forecasting models - MSTIDs" Sivakandan Mani (IAP-L) aula 00.08
12:00						12:00
	Registration / Opening Huis Bethlehem, KU Leuven, Auditorium Wolfspoort	"Instrumentation (ground and space)" Tobias Verhulst (RMI) aula 00.08
12:15						12:15

12:30						12:30
			"Ionospheric irregularities & scintillations" Luca Spogli (INGV) aula 00.08	"RayTracing models" Ivan Galkin (BGD) aula 00.08
12:45						12:45

13:00						13:00
		Lunch Break STUK Art Centre Leuven			Lunch Break STUK Art Centre Leuven
13:15						13:15
			Lunch Break STUK Art Centre Leuven	Lunch Break STUK Art Centre Leuven
13:30						13:30

13:45						13:45

14:00						14:00
	"Solar wind - magnetosphere interactions" Stefaan Poedts (KU Leuven) aula 00.08	"PITHIA-NRF e-Science Centre: how to discover, access, register data collections" Tamas Kiss (UoW) Raadzaal 00.18			Work Groups Presentations aula 00.08
14:15						14:15
			"EISCAT data collections" Anders Tjulin (EISCAT) aula 00.08
14:30						14:30

14:45						14:45
		"Heliospheric data and model results" Michaela Brchnelova (KU Leuven) Raadzaal 00.18
15:00						15:00
	*Coffee Break*		"GIM maps" Manuel Hernandez-Pajares (UPC) aula 00.08	Work Groups Introduction & Kick-off aula 00.08 & Dijlezaal M00.A1
15:15						15:15

15:30						15:30
	"Foundamentals in plasmasphere" Fabien Darrouzet (BIRA-IASB) aula 00.08	*Coffee Break*			Evaluation of Work Groups Results aula 00.08
15:45						15:45
			*Coffee Break*	*Coffee Break*
16:00			*Coffee Break*	*Coffee Break*		16:00
		"Ionospheric predictions for large scale storms" Anna Belehaki (NOA) Raadzaal 00.18	"TID nowcasting models - LSTIDs" Antoni Segarra (OE) aula 00.08	Work Groups in Action aula 00.08 & Dijlezaal M00.A1	Announcement of Work Groups Evaluation aula 00.08
16:15						16:15

16:30						16:30
	"Fundamentals in ionosphere" Luca Spogli (INGV) aula 00.08				*Farewell*
16:45						16:45
		"Dynamic kinetic model of the plasmasphere" Viviane Pierrard (BIRA-IASB) Raadzaal 00.18	"TID forecasting models - LSTIDs" Claudio Cesaroni (INGV) aula 00.08
17:00						17:00

17:15						17:15

17:30						17:30
	Welcome Drink Huis Bethlehem, KU Leuven, Reception Room
17:45						17:45

18:00						18:00
				Social Dinner DOMUS Leuven
18:15						18:15

18:30						18:30

18:45						18:45

19:00						19:00

19:15						19:15

19:30						19:30

19:45						19:45

20:00						20:00

20:15						20:15

20:30						20:30

20:45						20:45

21:00						21:00
		Social Activity Brewery Visit Stella Artois
21:15						21:15

21:30						21:30

21:45						21:45

22:00						22:00

22:15						22:15

22:30						22:30

The lectures given during the School are available to the PITHIA-NRF YouTube Channel. You can access them here.

Funds were available to support the travel of participants with an excellent CV accompanied by a motivation letter and a recommendation letter.

Key dates:

Registration opening: 28 September 2023
Application closing: 12 January 2024
Acceptance: 22 December 2023
Final program: 15 January 2024

Venue: KU Leuven, Auditorium Wolfspoort, Schapenstraat 34, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.

Practical information is available here.

Program Committee: Anna Belehaki (NOA, chair), Viviane Pierrard (BIRA-IASB), Stefaan Poedts (KU Leuven), Antoni Segarra (OE), Luca Spogli (INGV), Tobias Verhulst (RMI)

Evaluation Committee: Tobias Verhulst (RMI, chair), Lucilla Alfonsi (INGV), David Altadill (OE), Anna Belehaki (NOA), Viviane Pierrard (BIRA-IASB), Stefaan Poedts (KU Leuven), Jurgen Watermann (JFWCONSULT)

Local Organizing Committee: Stefaan Poedts (KU Leuven, chair), Fabien Darrouzet (BIRA-IASB), Viviane Pierrard (BIRA-IASB), Angeliki Thanasou (NOA), Joelke Vandoren (KU Leuven), Tobias Verhulst (RMI)