New Research Areas

In its new strategic plan, ICTP announced new research areas it will pursue in fields related to existing ones which could have significant interdisciplinary research potential, especially in their possible impact on developing countries. Those fields are:

Energy and Sustainability

Energy is a topic of key importance for developing countries, which have special needs for energy use and production. This new ICTP research area will concentrate on different sources of energy (with a focus on renewable energy) and their impact in the developing world. The area complements current activities of the Earth System Physics and Condensed Matter Physics sections, in particular the latter section's computational modelling of different materials relevant for energy conversion and storage. The hope is that such research could be implemented in collaboration with other local and national institutions.

Computing Sciences

The systematic study of algorithmic processes that create, describe, and transform information and its applications in computing systems is an ever-growing field that somehow now mirrors the role that theoretical physics used to play years ago when ICTP was founded. It has direct impact on society as a whole, and can be implemented in developing countries through improved access to computers via the internet. It is directly related to development and has important financial implications. This activity could be considered as a natural extension of the mathematics group to more applied areas. Expanding the scope of this new group to include quantum computing could also link with current research interests at ICTP and the University of Trieste.

A local cluster of computers would provide a world-class facility for the Centre's scientists and visitors. This will be needed for independent computational resources at ICTP for the existing groups (mostly Condensed Matter and Earth System Physics) and for the proposed new sections mentioned above.

Seminars

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Activities view all

Europe/Rome 2018-07-28 08:00:00 2018-07-29 22:00:00 Trieste Mini Maker Faire | (smr 3206) THE CALL FOR MAKERS IS NOW OPEN We invite makers, inventors, scientists, artisans, artists and other creative passionate and enthusiast people from the Triveneto Area, the neighbouring regions and countries (the near and the far ones) to participate to show and demonstrate their projects during the fifth edition of the Trieste Mini Maker Faire, that will be held on July 28 and 29 in Miramare (Trieste). We see this fifth edition as a great opportunity for everyone to share experiences and to grow bigger together, and we need the help of you all to make it a unique and memorable event! TO SUBMIT YOUR PROJECT VISIT: https://trieste.makerfaire.com/call-makers-2018/ NEW DEADLINE: 16 JULY 2018 To learn more about the Trieste Mini Maker Faire you can have a look at the web site https://trieste.makerfaire.com/about/ The complete list of co-sponsors of the event is available here: https://trieste.makerfaire.com/sponsors/ ICTP ICTP pio@ictp.it 28 Jul 2018 - 29 Jul 2018

» Trieste Mini Maker Faire | (smr 3206)

Europe/Rome 2018-09-17 08:00:00 2018-09-21 22:00:00 Advanced Workshop on Technology for Sustainable Development: Low-Cost Tools to support Scientific Education | (smr 3238) Technology plays a big role in sustainable development in all of its aspects: social, environmental, economic and scientific. The recent development of low cost technologies (electronic boards, sensors, 3D printing, etc.) can empower scientists and educators from developing countries in fostering scientific knowledge. In this workshop we will cover some of the low cost tools that can be used in universities to support courses in physics and engineering. We will present concrete examples of projects that can be carried out during post-graduate courses. We will study in depth one important case study, the LED Sun Photometer, which provides an ultra-low cost solution for education and science. TOPICS: • Sustainable Development Goals and the role of technology; • Open hardware and open software tools; • IoT4D: Internet of Things for Development; • 3D printing and the FabLab revolution; • The role of inexpensive technology in education (example: hand-made robot for kids, programmed in local language); • A case study, the LED Sun Photometer: from blueprinting to deployment in the field. * * * Secretariat: smr3238@ictp.it ICTP ICTP pio@ictp.it 17 Sep 2018 - 21 Sep 2018

» Advanced Workshop on Technology for Sustainable Development: Low-Cost Tools to support Scientific Education | (smr 3238)

Europe/Rome 2018-10-15 08:00:00 2018-10-19 22:00:00 Ethiopian Regional Workshop on Solar Energy and Energy Storage Technologies: Materials, System Design, and Applications | (smr 3149) DEADLINE FOR APPLICATONS: 15 JULY 2018 Director: Teketel YOHANNES, AASTU, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ICTP Contacts: Ralph GEBAUER & Nicola SERIANI, ICTP, Trieste, Italy The Workshop addresses students and researchers working in the field of solar energy and energy storage. The event will focus on fundamental and applied research on functional materials, on devices and on their application. To cope with increasing global energy demand, solar energy is one of the best alternatives. The feasibility of solar energy technology in Africa, where the sun is available throughout the year, is not questionable. This huge energy can be used as photo-thermal and in photovoltaic forms. For efficient conversion of solar energy it is very important to have a clear understanding of the photo-physical and opto-electrical properties of materials. In parallel with the development of photovoltaic devices, due attention has to be given to the storage of electrical energy in easily portable chemical energy forms and/or in an electrical field. Since solar energy is collected only in the day time, it is also wise to develop alternative technologies such as storage for renewable energy forms. Please note that funds from the Joint Undertaking for an African Materials Institute (JUAMI) are also available for US students. TOPICS: Current photovoltaic systems, new technologies; Promise of nanostructures and technology in this field; Wind and geothermal energy: potential and installations in Ethiopia; Energy storage: fuel cells, batteries and supercapacitors; Importance of materials science, experimental and computational approach; Renewable energy potentials in the region. WORKSHOP SPEAKERS: Michael ARMAND, Parque Technologies, Spain Vladimir DYAKONOV, Wuerzburg, Germany Gebrekldan G. ESHETU, Ulm, Germany Sosina M. HAILE, Northwestern, U.S.A. Harold HOPPE, Jena, Germany Kenneth I. OZOEMENA, Witwatersrand, South Africa Stefano PASSERINI, Ulm, Germany Markus C. SCHARBER, Linz, Austria Sahle TAMIR, MOWIE, Ethiopia Addis Ababa - Ethiopia ICTP pio@ictp.it 15 Oct 2018 - 19 Oct 2018

» Ethiopian Regional Workshop on Solar Energy and Energy Storage Technologies: Materials, System Design, and Applications | (smr 3149)

Europe/Rome 2018-10-22 08:00:00 2018-11-02 21:00:00 5th African School on Electronic Structure Methods and Applications (ASESMA-2018) | (smr 3234) DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 15 JULY 2018 Directors: N. CHETTY, University of Pretoria, South Africa A. HASSANALI, ICTP, Trieste, Italy R. MARTIN, Stanford University, U.S.A. S. NARASIMHAN, JNCASR Bangalore, India S. SCANDOLO, ICTP, Trieste, Italy Local Organizer: T. YOHANNES, AASTU, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ICTP contacts: A. HASSANALI, ICTP, Trieste, Italy S. SCANDOLO, ICTP, Trieste, Italy The Schools provide an introdution to the theory of electronic structure and other atomistic simulation methods, with an emphasis on the computational methods for practical calculations. The African School series on Electronic Structure Methods and Applications is planned on a biennial basis from 2010 to 2020. Previous schools were held in Cape Town, South Africa (2010), Eldoret, Kenya (2012), Johannesburg, South Africa (2015) and Accra, Ghana (2016). The School will also cover basic and advanced topics and applications of these methods to the structural, mechanical and optical properties of materials. The School will include hands-on tutorial sessions based on public license codes (including, but not limited to, the Quantum Espresso package). During the second week, students will be asked to split up in teams and work on specific projects under the guidance of the lecturers and mentors. Please note that funds from the Joint Undertaking for an African Materials Institute (JUAMI) are also available for US students. Invited Speakers: O. AKIN-OJO, AUST Abuja, Nigeria G. AMOLO, TU Kenya, Nairobi M. CASIDA, Universite' Grenoble Alpes, Saint-Martin-d'Heres, France M. GATTI, ETSF, LSI - CNRS, Palaiseau, France G. GEBREYESUS, University of Ghana E. LUIJTEN, Northwestern McCormick Sch. of Eng., Evanston, U.S.A. D. MAGERO, University of Eldoret, Kenya A. MARINI, ISM, Rome, Italy R. MAEZONO, JAIS, Ishikawa, Japan S. NARASIMHAN, JNCASR Bangalore, India Y. SHAIDU, SISSA, Trieste, Italy Addis Ababa - ICTP pio@ictp.it 22 Oct 2018 - 2 Nov 2018