As part of the nextGEMS production stage for our high-resolution Earth system simulations, a new hackathon edition has been launched. The fifth nextGEMS hackathon is currently taking place in the central Netherlands, in the city of Wageningen, renowned for its university and vibrant student life.

From October 14th to 18th, 2024, more than 80 scientists, researchers, students, and other representatives from across Europe, North America and East Asia gather for the „Hazard Hackathon“ at Wageningen University. Here, they can collaborate, network, and tackle pressing challenges related to fire weather, precipitation, urban heat extremes, and more.

On the first day, Chiel Van Heerwaarden, a researcher and co-organizer from Wageningen University, kicked off the event with a welcoming speech and general information for the week to come. Following, scientists Dyvia Praturi from the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology and Xabier Pedruzo from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) provided updates on the available ICON and IFS Earth system models‘ simulations.

Praturi encouraged participants to seek guidance and answers to their questions about the Easy Gems platform, while Pedruzo highlighted a recently published research paper detailing the advancements in IFS simulations.

During the opening session, Jasper Denissen from ECMWF introduced the audience to the Catchment-based Macro-scale Floodplain (Ca-Ma-Flood) model. He explained how its hydrological forecasts are being used in nextGEMS simulations and mentioned some of the Ca-Ma-Flood output variables that participants can work with, such as river discharge and flooded fractions.

Before the first day concluded with an exciting ice-breaker session that included some delicious local finger food and a round of pool and table tennis, Edgar Dolores-Testillos from the University of Bern presented the innovative structure of this hackathon. Unlike in the previous events, this time participants will have the opportunity to choose from five defined challenges: efficient data handling, fire weather, precipitation and temperature extremes and urban heat, energy production, and a „wild card“ challenge encompassing topics like tropical cyclones and extreme precipitation. Nevertheless, he emphasized that participants are also free to pursue their own or collective interests during the upcoming days of the hacking marathon.

The 5th hackathon of the nextGEMS project is coming up! Join us from 14th to 18th of October 2024 in the dutch town of Wageningen to find out how our models can be applied in the sector of natural hazards.

The event will be organised in cooperation with the Wageningen University and Research (WUR) and the University of Bern and hosted on the WUR campus.

In the spirit of what was written in our proposal, participating scientists, programmers, and other project partners will work in small groups to create new knowledge on a topic. The topics will be related to the four nextGEMS research themes, as well as to natural hazards, such as wildfires and heavy precipitation. We will all explore research questions based on the newest simulations of the IFS and ICON models, identifying bugs and developing improvements. If you haven’t been to a hackathon, have a look at our previous hackathons to get an impression of the atmosphere and collaboration.

Registration

If you are interested in participating in the Hackathon, please register here until the 1st of July, 2024.

The event will charge a EUR 150 participation fee. Once your participation is confirmed, you will also receive the instructions for the payment.

Stipend Application

Once again, we are also opening a call for stipend applications to support the participation of young scientists with a strong interest in climate science or Earth system informatics. The stipend application deadline is 15th June 2024.

For any additional questions, please refer to the event website or contact the nextGEMS project office.

Where and when: Wageningen University, Netherlands – 14th to 18th October 2024

nextGEMS offers up to 15 stipends for participation in the Hazard Hackathon to support young scientists (at Master and PhD student level) from outside the project.

Application deadline: 15 June, 2024.
-> quicklink to registration & application

What is a nextGEMS hackathon?

nextGEMS is an European project that follows a new approach to climate modelling with global storm-resolving Earth-system Models. The project members meet regularly at hackathons to collaboratively analyse the latest model runs, exchange ideas and develop new ways forward.

We would like to include universities and research groups, especially from regions with less of a tradition in climate science. External participants applying for a stipend will be organized in teams to work on an Application Challenge Problem. This time around, the focus will be on the application of data and climate models in the context of natural hazards. As the Storms & Land theme is inviting us to meet in Wageningen, the main themes are fire weather, (urban) heat extremes, and extreme precipitation. As always, everyone is invited to bring their own subject as well. nextGEMS scientists, as well as experts from the field, will supervise and support the hackathon teams.

If you haven’t been to a hackathon, have a look at past hackathons to get an impression of the atmosphere during our previous meetings.

Who can apply?

We welcome young scientists with a strong interest in climate science or Earth system informatics!

Eligibility criteria:

• Master or PhD students in either physics, geophysical science, computer science, or marine biology (ideally fisheries), or applicants from African countries, whose research relates to the hazards sector.
• The application shall be supported by a supervisor.
• Applicants must be able to communicate comfortably in English.
• Experince and familiarity with large data analysis, using Python or similar, is preferred.

What is included?

The hackathon participation is free and includes coffee breaks, lunches and a dinner. Additional travel and accommodation costs (incl. breakfast) up to €1000 are available per stipend.

How to apply?

Before applying for a hackathon stipend, please prepare the following documents:

• Letter of motivation
• CV (max 2 pages)
• Proof of current enrollment and latest BSc / MSc certificates
• Letter of support from a supervisor or equivalent, stating the relevance of the applicant’s participation

Information on the hackathon, as well as registration details, can be found on the event website.

During the registration, please indicate that you apply for a hackathon stipend. Following the respective check-box, please upload the documents listed above in one single (concatenated) PDF file.

Application deadline is 15 June, 2024.
We will let you know as soon as possile whether we can arrange for your hackathon participation in Wageningen.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with the nextGEMS project office.

In cooperation with the Wageningen University and Research (WUR) and the Universiy of Bern we will organise our next Hackathon in October this year. It will be the 5th hackathon for the nextGEMS project and it will happen in the town of Wageningen in the Netherlands.

Mark the week of the 14th-18th of October 2024 in you calendars and keep an eye on this page for more information in the future