From the cold, wet NorthWest of Daresbury and warmer though equally wet SouthWest weather of Bristol, five CCP5 scientists ventured to the dry desert of Chile where the daily temperature fluctuates between 5 to 30oC. Ilian Todorov, Chin Yong, Alin Elena, Michael Seaton (all STFC) and the chair of CCP5 Neil Allan (University of Bristol) travelled to Antofagasta, a city stretching 50 km along the Pacific coast. At the Universidad Católica Del Norte they presented a week-long training school to 34 attendees from across South American countries, (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil Chile, and Mexico) including one attendee from India studying for a PhD at the university, and a Professor from Spain on an extensive visit to the university.
Chile is one of the wealthiest countries in South America due to its mining industry - the largest exporter of Cu and Li in the world. It is also within easy reach of other Latin American states. Unfortunately, UK summer schools are out of reach due to the high costs of travel and accommodation for prospective participants from these states, hence holding a training school in Chile offers an accessible solution. The potential impact of spreading the UK's knowledge and fostering future collaborations with researchers in these large, mineral-rich states, is immense, for example by stimulating collaborative industrial and academic international projects, supported by interstate funding schemes.
The training material was pitched to include all levels of experience of molecular simulations from no experience to advanced, and was applicable to many fields of research including industrially-relevant projects such as bio-chemical research, the efficiency of photovoltaics, minerals extraction, and finding solutions to tackle pollution. The week began with an overview of molecular simulations, progressed to statistical mechanics and molecular dynamics before launching into the intricacies of simulation parameters such as force-fields, and the suite of DL_Software codes themselves. The afternoons were occupied with hands-on practical workshops with plenty of opportunity for the attendees to interact with the school's organizers and speakers.
The feedback from the attendees was overall very positive, especially regarding the enthusiasm of the CCP5 developers and training school organizers, their readiness to help, their lectures and general organization. Further feedback provided invaluable insight towards the iterative refinement of future training schools and workshops, which are also held in the UK as well as internationally.
Click the following for more information about the CCPs, upcoming training schools and DL_suite of software:
