SIAM UQ24: iNEST and Spoke 9 on an international stage
A mini-symposium focused on iNEST Spoke 9 was held today at Stazione Marittima in Trieste, as part of the sixth edition of the international conference on Uncertainty Quantification
Trieste, 28th February 2024
Today, 28th February 2024, iNEST was brought on an international stage: a mini-symposium focused on Spoke 9 was held at Stazione Marittima in Trieste, as part of SIAM UQ24—the sixth edition of the prestigious international conference on Uncertainty Quantification, organized by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) with the help of various remarkable sponsors, among which are iNEST and SISSA. The event, chaired by Spoke 9 Leader for SISSA, Prof. Gianluigi Rozza, was a pivotal moment within the whole conference, as it allowed many international applied mathematicians to connect with Trieste’s industries and scientific system.
The mini-symposium was opened by the greetings of Prof. Rozza, who introduced the audience to Prof. Franco Bonollo, Head of iNEST Board of Directors. Prof. Bonollo provided an overview of the iNEST Consortium, its Spokes, and Cross-Cutting Activities, shedding light on the emerging challenges and opportunities for the whole ecosystem. «Certainly, we have some criticalities: for example, the size and complexity of the project, managing recruitment, and consolidating the network among Partners and Affiliates» stated Bonollo, «however, we are making a big effort for each of them, and our Partners are strongly committed. The key concept is that of a networked growth.»
Prof. Angelo Montanari, Director of iNEST Scientific Committee, held the next talk. After a detailed presentation of the Research Topics of all nine Spokes, as well as of the program of Cross-Cutting Activities, Prof. Montanari unveiled the scientific mission of the Consortium and its goal for the future. «We plan to live for at least ten years,» announced Montanari, «and we have to figure out how to go on after the first three years. In our opinion, Cross-Cutting Activities will play a major role in this task, as they are inherently involving all universities and research centers of Northeastern Italy.»
The spotlight was later taken by Prof. Cristina Pedicchio, Spoke 8 Leader for the University of Trieste, who enlightened the audience with her view: in her words, «Spoke 8 represents a pilot project, a best practice even at the European level.» Indeed, Spoke 8 researchers have the ambitious aim of developing a Digital Twin of the Upper Adriatic Sea—a goal that perfectly aligns with the EU Mission in Horizon Europe involving the restoration of European waters and oceans. Creating a digital replica of the Gulf of Trieste is a very complicated task, yet it would prove beneficial on many levels: as pointed out by Prof. Pedicchio, «everybody could benefit from it: individuals, researchers, and institutions.»
The mini-symposium ended with a presentation by SISSA Spoke 9 researcher Laura Meneghetti, “Digital Twin and UQ: an Integration Perspective”. Meneghetti highlighted the robust link between the main topic of Spoke 9 and that of SIAM UQ24—i.e., Digital Twins (DTs) and Uncertainty Quantification (UQ). At the basis of such a strong link are data. «Digital Twins are supposed to have an automatic flow of data with the real system» explained Meneghetti. The paradigm for accurate DTs, as she later illustrated, is made up of three pillars: one of them consists of quantifying uncertainties. Given that, in the words of Meneghetti, «DTs can lead to many applications and advantages», it is therefore clear that applied mathematics plays a crucial role in several fields.
Click here to see the photo gallery of the event.
