HIDA CIFAR Summer School on Data Science & ClimateIn-Person Event

Jun 30, 2025, 4:00 PM → Jul 4, 2025, 6:00 PM Europe/Berlin

HIDA Hub (Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft, Anna-Louisa-Karsch-Straße 2, 10178 Berlin)

HIDA CIFAR Summer School on Data Science & Climate

Dive into the Crossroads of Data Science, AI, and Climate

Join us for an immersive and interdisciplinary Summer School on Climate Research and Remote Sensing bringing together young researchers, professionals, and students eager to tackle global climate challenges using innovative data-driven approaches.

Please note that you do not need to work in climate research to attend this summer school, we are explicitly looking for a diverse and interdisciplinary group of participants!

Date: June 30 – Juy 4, 2025

Locations: Berlin at the HIDA Hub (Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft, Anna-Louisa-Karsch-Straße 2, 10178 Berlin) & Helmhotz Centre for Geosciences (Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam)

Description

Together, CIFAR and the Helmholtz Information & Data Science Academy (HIDA) are planning an in-person summer school for graduate and postgraduate students on the theme of Data Science for Climate, using data science and new technologies to support interdisciplinary research. Students will have the opportunity to dive into the crossroads of data science, AI, climate research, and in particular remote sensing with sessions on different methodologies and domain-specific applications. Our program offers a unique blend of theoretical foundations, hands-on experience, and collaborative learning.

What to Expect?

 

• Expert-Led Sessions: Engage with renowned scientists through keynotes, panel discussions, and interactive lectures.
• Hands-On Data Exploration: Work with a real-world dataset from the Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), applying remote sensing and imaging techniques to extract meaningful insights.
• Collaborative Group Project: Tackle an assignment in small, interdisciplinary teams using GFZ’s dataset, fostering problem-solving and teamwork.
• Practical Training: Learn from specialists in courses and workshops
• Networking & Career Insights: Connect with experts and fellow participants from diverse fields, expanding your research and career opportunities.

Find more details in the timetable, which is continuosuly updated! 

 

Who can participate?

Participants must be PhD students or postdoctoral fellows either affiliated with Helmholtz or as a student of a CIFAR program member. The Summer School will include equal participation from Helmholtz students and CIFAR program trainees.

For Helmholtz spots, applications from the six Helmholtz Information & Data Science Schools - MUDs, HIDSS4Health, MarDATA, HDS-LEE, HEIBRIDS, DASHH - will be given priority. 

How to apply:

To apply for one of the 15 seats allocated to Helmholtz, please go to "Apply now" to apply for participation in the HIDA CIFAR Summer School. Admission notifications will be sent out in the beginning of May. We strongly advise to wait with your travel arrangements until then. 

Deadline extended: Application deadline is April 11, 2025, 1 pm!

Questions?

Please contact us: hida-courses@helmholtz.de

 

Mon, June 30

5:30 PM → 7:00 PM Meet- up & Networking Session

Tue, July 1

8:30 AM → 9:00 AM Arrival at HIDA Hub

9:00 AM → 9:30 AM Welcome and Introductions

9:30 AM → 10:30 AM Introduction to Climate Research -AI & Climate modelling

Speaker: Maximilian Gelbrecht (PIK)

10:30 AM → 11:00 AM Coffee Break

11:00 AM → 12:00 PM Introduction to Climate Research - Atmosphere

Speaker: Peer Nowak (KIT)

12:00 PM → 1:00 PM Topic tbd

Speaker: Ariel L. Furst (MIT)

1:00 PM → 2:00 PM Lunch

2:00 PM → 3:30 PM Roundtable discussion

3:30 PM → 4:00 PM Coffee Break

4:00 PM → 5:00 PM Mentoring session

Wed, July 2

8:30 AM → 9:30 AM Transfer Berlin - Potsdam

9:30 AM → 10:00 AM Arrival and welcome

10:00 AM → 11:00 AM Introduction to Remote sensing

11:00 AM → 12:30 PM Guided Tour through GFZ

12:30 PM → 2:00 PM Lunch

2:00 PM → 5:00 PM Workshop: Feature detection in climate data

In the workshop, we follow Jim Gray’s approach to data-intensive science to answer scientific questions using Sentinel-2 satellite data. Jim Gray’s approach to data-intensive science involves four phases: capturing data, storing and managing data efficiently, exploring data through statistical and computational analysis, and finally visualizing and communicating results. The workshop thoroughly examines each phase and discusses practical methods with participants using widely adopted Python libraries. The hands-on activities focus on characterizing and monitoring wildfire activity in California. While the workshop focuses on this specific use case, participants can use Gray’s approach in future projects as a reusable template for answering a wide range of questions with Sentinel-2 data.

Speaker: Mike Sips (German Research Centre for GeoSciences)

5:00 PM → 6:00 PM Human virome and novel therapeutic strategies using viruses

Speaker: Ann Gregory (University of Calgary)

6:00 PM → 7:00 PM Transfer Potsdam - Berlin

Thu, July 3

8:30 AM → 9:00 AM Arrival at HIDA Hub

9:00 AM → 10:00 AM Data Science and intelligent Systems

Speaker: Stefan Bauer (Helnholtz AI)

10:00 AM → 10:30 AM Technical Set-up (Optional)

10:30 AM → 12:00 PM Group Work Phase 1

12:00 PM → 1:30 PM Lunch

1:30 PM → 3:00 PM Group Work Phase 2

3:00 PM → 3:30 PM Coffee Break

3:30 PM → 5:00 PM Group Presentations

5:00 PM → 6:00 PM Farewell and Networking

Fri, July 4

8:30 AM → 9:00 AM Arrival at HIDA Hub

9:00 AM → 10:15 AM Closing Discussions & Good bye