Every summer, the Jyväskylä Summer School attracts students from all over the world to deepen their skills in STEM and socialise with their peers. Top-level academic expertise, varied social activities, and the Finnish summer weather at its finest provided students of inverse problems an engaging and rewarding experience.
For over three decades, the Jyväskylä Summer School has gathered students from all over the world to deepen their expertise on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics subjects and expand their professional and academic networks. Organised by the Faculty of Mathematics and Science and the Faculty of Information Technology at the University of Jyväskylä, the Jyväskylä Summer School is one of the largest and oldest summer schools in Finland.
This year, the summer school offered courses focusing on themes such as Self-assembly in Biological and Molecular Materials, Circular Economy and Sustainability, and Data Optimisation.
A deep dive into inverse problems
The courses on inverse problems took place from 5 August to 9 August and, in keeping with the tradition, were taught by esteemed guest lecturers from the international inversion problem community.
Professor Ronny Ramlau, from Johannes Kepler University of Linz and the Austrian Academy of Sciences, led a course called “Integral Equations and Compact Operators.” Professor Ramlau’s expertise is in nonlinear inverse problems and regularization methods, and his course aimed to provide students with an understanding of the foundations of the theory of compact integral operators and the solvability of associated equations.
As Professor Ramlau participated in the Jyväskylä Summer School for the first time, he hoped that the summer school week would be a lot of fun for both him and his students. His sessions were designed to not just convey theoretical knowledge, but also to create interactive discussions, making the learning process challenging yet engaging.
Dr. Felix Lucka, from the Computational Imaging Group at Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica in Amsterdam, delivered a course on “X-ray Computed Tomography Inside Out: Physics, Mathematics, Imaging and Applications.” Dr. Lucka’s research focuses on the mathematical challenges in biomedical imaging applications that have a classical inverse problem described by partial differential equations at their core.
Having visited Finland multiple times for academic purposes, including attending a summer school on inverse problems in Kuopio as a PhD student in 2012, Dr. Lucka was excited to participate on a summer school as a guest lecturer. His course aimed to provide familiarity with the basics of X-ray computed tomography from several points of view.
A healthy balance of science and socialising
The Jyväskylä Summer School is not just about academic work. Like in previous years, the week also included an extensive programme of extracurricular activities that allowed students to socialise and network with their peers. For example, a poster session provided students with an opportunity to present their research, while a summer evening cruise, co-organised by the Jyväskylä Summer School and FAME Flagship, let the participants enjoy sauna on a former tugboat and have a refreshing swim in the serene Lake Päijänne.
Judged by the smiles, the Jyväskylä Summer School was a success for those interested in the field of inverse problems. The courses offered by Professor Ramlau and Dr. Lucka provided participants with essential insights into their respective topics, and sunny weather and Finnish summer’s bright evenings complemented the enthusiastic and positive atmosphere outside classrooms throughout the week. As one of the attending students happily put it, the summer school week offered a mathematically challenging and socially rewarding experience.
By combining insightful STEM courses, top-level lecturers, and varied social events, the Jyväskylä Summer School attracts students from all over the world year after year. We hope to see many new and returning faces again next year!
Photo: University of Jyväskylä
