BSC-CNS Newsletter March 2020

An international team has completed the most comprehensive study of whole cancer genomes to date, improving our fundamental understanding of cancer and signposting new directions for its diagnosis and treatment. The BSC has contributed with the analysis of data, with the design of specific computing solutions for cancer genomics, as well as in the answering of specific questions related to with the biology of tumors.

BSC researcher Ilaria Vigo is one of the authors of a comment published in Nature Energy about how the energy industry can benefit from better and more reliable seasonal forecasts. The transition to renewable energy makes it more important for power producers to get accurate information about the weather that is to come.

Volcanic activity that occurs in tropical moist atmospheres can promote deep convection (heat transfer) and trigger volcanic thunderstorms. However, these phenomena are rarely observed to last continuously for more than a day. An international team of researchers, led by BSC researchers, has published a multidisciplinary study on an extreme case in Nature Scientific Reports.

In the last weeks several authorities have visited our centre. On 26th of February the president of the Catalan Government, Quim Torra, visited MareNostrum. Some weeks ago the Catalan Vice President Pere Aragonès visited BSC to get a closer look at the centre's challenges and Vice President of the Spanish government, Teresa Ribera, visited us to talk about the work done in climate and air quality, and the development of services carried out by the BSC's Department of Earth Sciences.

BSC has launched a new spin-off, Maspatechnologies, that aims to provide multicore timing analysis solutions in accordance to safety standards for critical embedded systems, including automotive, aerospace and space industry. The main product offered by Maspatechnologies is a software component called micro-benchmark technology to be used for timing verification, validations and optimization of software developed for embedded real-time domains.

Technogirls is a summer camp on technology with activities designed and directed by a team of the BSC, the UPC and the CIM UPC to promote the interest of secondary school students in technology. The camps are aimed at girls between 12 and 16 years old to arouse her interest towards scientific-technical careers. With this activity, we seek to take another step in the fight against the gender gap in this field.

The BSC researcher Jordi Torres has just published the book "Python Deep Learning" to help those interested in understanding and developing in the world of deep learning, one of the techniques most present in developments that incorporate artificial intelligence. The book combines the theoretical principles of this technology with a practical approach to code and the steps needed to develop neural network based projects.