Specialists in theoretical, experimental physics and computing sciences gathered at the International Workshop on Advanced Computing and Analysis Techniques in Physics Investigations, ACAT 2016, that lead by the Informatics Department gathered at the educational center a 100 expositors from all over the world.
The 17th edition of ACAT aims to once again bring together computer science researchers and practitioners, and researchers from particle and nuclear physics, astronomy and astrophysics and accelerator science to explore and confront the boundaries of computing, of automated data analysis as well as theoretical calculation technologies. It will create a forum for exchanging ideas among the fields and will explore and promote cutting-edge computing, data analysis and theoretical calculation technologies in fundamental physics research.
Every 18 months, this conference is organized by the Informatics Department of USM- in collaboration with Universidad de Chile and Universidad del Bío-Bío, Valparaiso’s Scientific and Technological Center (CCTVal), the Center for Mathematical Modelling (CMM), the National Laboratory for High Performance Computing (NLHPC) and CERN-, has as participants academics and researchers from all over the world, who during five days discussed about new technologies and advancements in the areas of particle physics and high performance computing.
In addition, we must highlight that this version of the international conference is the first that takes place in South-America, representing in this way a » great honour» for the USM to have been selected as the venue where it took place, manifested one of its organizers, professor from the Informatics Department, Claudio Torres.
“Having chosen the USM is a great honour to the university, because we competed with other big institutions. We have been chosen and we have achieved to organize it, with much effort», said the academic.
The conference counted with five plenary talks each morning, and also three different parallel tracks in the afternoons that touched more specific subjects, such as Technology in Computing for investigation on physics; data analysis-Algorithms and tools; and Calculations in theoretical: techniques and methods.
Valuable interaction
“The conference has been very interesting. One of the main reasons why we are interested in these kind of events is that they gather new and very innovative ideas, that can do much good to sciences», said one of the participants, Dr. David Britton from the University of Glasgow (UK), who offered a presentation on the optimization of the use of memory in computers. «Also, this is an excellent opportunity to know new people and meet acquaintances, and it is also a very productive occasion», he added.
The possibility of interacting with colleagues and explore collaborations is also the aspect that attracted Dr. Liliana Teodorescu, specialist in particle physics from Brunel University (UK), who expressed having a great interest in the cooperative work with informatics scientists, specially in algorithms for data analysis of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
“This is the first opportunity in which I interact with USM colleagues, and is a relationship that we are very interested in cultivating. We know that students are very well prepared, and would like to have them in the United Kingdom so that they can exchange experiences with our students», she said.
In her participation, Dr. Teodorescu gave a plenary presentation “about a first approximation to evolutionary computing, which is a very unexplored field in computing science, with scopes to particle physics» explained.
Finally, the specialist in particle physics and the Director of STAR Software & Computing from Brookhaven National Laboratory, (United States), Dr. Jérôme Lauret, emphasized the importance of ACAT as one of the few conferences that allow «cross-pollination», by gathering theoretical, experimental and scientific specialists of computing to focus on solutions and common topics.
“I have been involved with this conference for many years, and I think that it is very interesting what ACAT represents, by congregating multiple subjects on sciences in the area of physics», pointed out Lauret. “I have always heard good things about Universidad Santa María, about the quality of the events and workshops that are organized here, and also is very good being here and enjoy the beauty of its location», he added.
ACAT 2016 concluded with the oral presentation of the three best participating posters, chosen during the conference, developed by different groups of research that will be able to show in more detail the results of their experiments. Its next version, that will take place in 2017, will take place in Seattle, United States.
Source: Noticias Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María
Particles physics and informatics gathered distinguished scientifics at Universidad Santa María
