The Mary Ann Mansigh Conversation series focuses of non-strictly technical topics of cultural interest for the simulation and modelling community. The format reflects the informative and informal nature of these sessions, with talks introducing the subject followed by a conversation between the speakers and the audience.

The lecture series "Mary Ann Mansigh Conversation series" is co-organized by CECAM (https://www.cecam.org) and MARVEL (http://nccr-marvel.ch/) at EPFL.

Science and Diplomacy

Gihan Kamel - SESAME Facility, Jordan
Atish Dabholkar - International Center for Theoretical Physics, Italy
Tatsujiro Suzuki - Nagasaki University (RECNA), Japan
Ronald Buffonais - University of Geneva, Switzerland

Lausanne, February 28 2025

Starting at 10:00 CET

In these complex times, the theme of Science and Diplomacy is of utmost relevance. We plan to address it from points of view that include education and scientific exchange in developing countries, the potential of computational science as a facilitator for diplomacy, actions of international institutions promoting peace and disarmament, and the management of cooperative research infrastructures in problematic areas.

Science writing and science editing - from journals to journalism

Nina Meinzer - Senior Editor and Team Leader, Nature Physics
Mark Peplow - Science journalist

Tuesday April 23 2024

Starting at 15:00 CEST

The lecture will take place on the EPFL campus, in room BCH2103 (Batochime building) and will be broadcasted live on Zoom.
Zoom link: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/69623560691?pwd=QWkwckkvT3BmanY3b3RSTUl4L1dWUT09

Fascination and industrial value of materials modeling

Erich Wimmer

Thursday May 5 2022

Starting at 15:00 CEST

Join us for a conversation on the potential of materials modeling to create industrial value while satisfying human desire to understand the processes that form and transform materials around us.
The lecture will take place on the EPFL campus, in room BCH2103 (Batochime building) and will be broadcasted live on Zoom.

Programma 101, the little computer that could

Beniamino De’Liguori Carino, Foundation Adriano Olivetti
Pierpaolo Perotto, Finsa – Technology for people

Tuesday November 9 2021

1965 New York World Fair. Long before Microsoft and Apple and at a time when computers were big and expensive machines largely unknown to the general public, the Olivetti industries presented the Programma 101, the world’s first desktop computer.
Did you know it?

Join us to learn more about this revolutionary machine, get to know the scientific and design team behind it, and (re)discover the unusual philosophy of the industry where it was born and died.

Computer modelling for industrial applications

Massimo Noro
Daresbury Laboratory, United Kingdom

Wednesday May 8 2019

In this conversation, Massimo Noro, formerly at Unilever and current Business Development Director at Daresbury labs, will discuss with Prof. William Curtin, EPFL, and with the audience the relevance of simulation for industry and his role as the leader of an important computing facility that interacts directly with industry. This conversation will offer insight on how to promote and facilitate industrial use of simulation and modelling, and will allow us to meet a “living example” of a carrier path for simulators outside academia.

Almost famous a woman behind the codes

Mary Ann Mansigh Karlsen
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, USA

Wednesday November 15 2017

Many of the breakthroughs of the early days of simulation would not have been possible without skilled programmers who translated new scientific ideas into efficient codes that would run without errors on the supercomputers of the 1950s and 1960s.