Workshop on Computational Methods and Research Areas (4/1 - 4/3)
The University of Arizona Applied Mathematics program in conjunction with The University of Arizona Fusion Initiative and Professor Misha Chertkov's NSF Innovations in Graduate Education Grant is organizing a spring workshop for UA STEM Graduate Students on scientific computing with a focus on problems and techniques relevant to fusion science, semiconductors, modeling at Biosphere 2, space sciences, and astrobiology. The workshop will consist of a mixture of talks, tutorials and the start of short/longer term hackathon projects. Talks/projects related to AI for science, biological/biomedical, research at Biosphere 2, l applications of AI, defense and space broadly are also welcome. See below for each track's description.
Modeling at Biosphere 2
Biosphere 2 is a large-scale, mostly closed ecological facility designed to study complex environmental and ecosystem interactions. For the workshop, we aim to give participants hands-on experience with real-world scientific data, exploring themes like ecology, environmental monitoring, big data, and computational modeling in a collaborative, problem-solving context.
Space Sciences & Astrobiology 8-Week Remote Research Project Initiative
Begins April 2nd, 2026 - U of A Library Main 112
We are seeking students, postdocs, faculty to tackle a challenging interdisciplinary research problem over an 8-Week Remote Research Project period.
Preparatory Talks: On April 2nd, participants attend the workshop to learn about the proposed projects and associated tools and methods. Preliminary teams will be formed.
Team Assignment: Student teams (3-4 members) are assigned a PI-proposed problem and conduct the research remotely.
Mentorship: PIs will provide mentorship over this 8-week period (and beyond as desired). Participation and mentorship can be conducted entirely remotely.
Culmination: The initiative concludes with a final presentation session. Astrobiology-related project members receive free access to attend and present their work at AbGradCon 2026 in September.
Want to participate? Please fill out our interest form: https://forms.gle/ArqRZDihrwQvcj9N8
4/2/2026 - Thursday - UA Main Library, Room 112 Learning Studio
Computational Methods for Space/Astrobiology + Research Initiative
9-9:45 AM - Breakfast and Networking
10:00-11:00 AM - Reconstructing turbulent space plasma fields from sparse measurements - Kris Klein, UA
11:10-12:10 PM - SAGE: a local agentic AI science assistant, Complexity metrics as possible biosignature guides on Mars - Michael Phillips, UA
12:10-1:30 PM - Catered lunch
1:30-2:30 PM - Inverse modeling of Enceladus interior dynamics and chemistry, Numerical modeling of microbial dynamics in soils and planetary environments - Bryan Travis, PSI
2:40-3:40 PM - Automated detection of new slope streaks on Mars - Norbert Schorghofer, PSI
3:40-5:30 PM - Collaboration Time and Group Formation, Informal Networking