Events

Dates: July 14-17 2025

Focus: We focused on Enabling Verification, Validation, and Uncertainty Quantification (VVUQ) for a range of applications, as well as setting up the new SEAVEA website and future-proofing a range of SEAVEAtk components.

Date: 7th and 10th - 11th February 2025

Focus:This 24-hour online hackathon focused on empowering participants to tackle real-world challenges by integrating Verification, Validation, and Uncertainty Quantification (VVUQ) into their applications using the powerful SEAVEA toolkit (SEAVEAtk). The event provided an opportunity to use SEAVEA's open-source software tools, including functionalities for surrogate modelling, uncertainty propagation, and sensitivity analysis, particularly in the context of multiscale simulations and high-performance computing. It encouraged teams of 3-6 members, with a prize pool for eligible projects that demonstrated VVUQ capabilities and SEAVEAtk integration.

Date: 21st January 2025

Focus: EasyVVUQ hackathon appears to have been a highly productive event with a focus on resolving technical debt and improving the core functionality of the software.

Key achievements included:

• Bug Fixes and Issues: Several critical issues were addressed, including fixing a bug with the MC Sampler and resolving failures related to regression testing and Ping-Bartek tests.

• Documentation and Tutorials: Work was done to improve the DOC and create a Signpost easyvuq.html.

• Code Cleanup and Improvements: The team successfully merged QNC and MC Sampler code, fixed a Jinja encoder issue, and worked on resolving pull requests.

• Python Version Support: There was a focused effort to add support for Python 3.12 and 3.13 while dropping support for older versions like Python 3.8.

• Task Management: A significant number of tasks were completed, with several others currently in progress or ready for review.

Date: 4th December 2024

Focus: An EasyVVUQ hackathon was held to advance the development and application of the EasyVVUQ library. The event brought together developers and users to work on various tasks, including fixing bugs, improving documentation, and adding new features.

Key work from the event included:

• Resolving issues with Python 3.13 compatibility and other reported bugs.

• Updating installation and usage instructions to make the software more accessible.

• Improving the project's internal workflows.

The hackathon contributed to the ongoing development of EasyVVUQ, a tool designed to help scientists and engineers apply verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification to their simulation codes.

Date: 5 to 7 June 2024

Focus: This joint hackathon, organised by the HiDALGO2, CiRCE, and SEAVEA projects, focused on enabling Verification, Validation, and Uncertainty Quantification (VVUQ) for global challenge applications using the SEAVEA toolkit (SEAVEAtk). The hybrid event took place physically at the High-Performance Computing Center in Stuttgart, Germany, and online. Participants learned about the SEAVEA toolkit components, including EasyVVUQ for creating VVUQ procedures, EasySurrogate for multiscale surrogate models, FabSim3 for workflow automation, QCG Pilot Job Manager and RADICAL Cybertools for efficient job execution, and MUSCLE3 for coupled multiscale simulations with UQ. The event also introduced the Multipurpose Uncertainty Quantification and Sensitivity Analysis (mUQSA) web-based Graphical User Interface, which integrates with SEAVEAtk. Participants were given access to the Eagle supercomputer.

Date: 1st June 2024

Focus: ExCALIBUR Day, held alongside ICCS 2024 in Málaga, was a successful event that showcased the latest advancements in exascale computing. The day brought together a global audience of researchers to discuss the future of high-performance computing.

The event featured a series of presentations on various projects, including SEAVEA, CompBioMedX, and EXA-UQ, with topics ranging from simulating human anatomy and blood flow to using AI and uncertainty quantification in scientific applications. Panel discussions covered the technical challenges of exascale computing and the need for new approaches, such as heterogeneous computing.

Overall, the event highlighted the progress of the ExCALIBUR project and fostered new opportunities for collaboration among experts in the field.

Date: May 2024

Focus: At a recent Science Museum Lates event, the SEAVEA project was presented to the public in the IMAX theatre. The presentation and a subsequent panel discussion with experts focused on the topic of uncertainty quantification. The team demonstrated the importance of understanding uncertainty and accuracy in a range of real-world contexts, using examples such as weather forecasting to make the complex topic accessible to a public audience. The event provided an opportunity for the public to engage directly with researchers and learn about the science behind data-driven predictions.

Date: 4-5th December 2023

Focus: The fifth SEAVEA Hackathon wasa hybrid event held at University College London on 1st and 4th-5th December 2023. The three-day event focused on the SEAVEA toolkit (SEAVEAtk), which is designed for Verification, Validation, and Uncertainty Quantification (VVUQ) in High-Performance Computing (HPC) simulations.The hackathon provided participants with an opportunity to work directly with the latest version of the toolkit and its various components, including EasyVVUQ, FabSim3, and EasySurrogate. Experts were on hand to assist attendees in applying these tools to their own codes and applications, with the goal of improving the rigour of VVUQ in their research. The event was open to both new and existing users of the SEAVEAtk.

Date:  8-12th December 2022

Focus: The hackathon involved a number of researchers working on a variety of projects related to the SEAVEA toolkit. Key activities and projects included:

• Application of SEAVEA to specific codes: Several teams worked on integrating SEAVEA components into their own applications. For example, Jon McCullough worked on HemeLB, Alireza Jaferi on a model for natural disaster displacement, and Will Hornsby on a Gaussian process regression for plasma turbulence.

• Integration and Tool Development: Projects focused on improving the SEAVEA toolkit itself. These included work on integrating MUSCLE3, creating a script for an active learning scheme, and adding new features to the EasySurrogate toolkit.

• Methodology and Research: Researchers worked on developing and applying new methodologies, such as UQ for nuclear fusion reactions, sensitivity analysis for FACS, and UQ for turbulent channel flow.

• Workflow and Infrastructure: Efforts were made to improve the underlying infrastructure, with work on FabSim3and QCG-PJ to make running jobs on HPC resources easier and more efficient.

Date: 8 and 9 December 2022

Focus: This was a SEAVEA Hackathon, focused on Verification, Validation and Uncertainty Quantification (VVUQ) for High-Performance Computing (HPC) simulations, specifically using the SEAVEA toolkit (SEAVEAtk). Participants had the opportunity to work with SEAVEAtk experts to apply the tools to their own codes and applications, or to add more rigorous VVUQ to existing applications. The toolkit includes tools for creating VVUQ procedures (EasyVVUQ), facilitating surrogate models (EasySurrogate), automating complex workflows (FabSim3), efficient job execution (QCG Pilot Job Manager), convenient HPC facility use (QCG-Now, FabSim3, QCG-Client), creating coupled multiscale simulations with UQ (MUSCLE3), and surrogate modelling with Gaussian Processes (MOGP). This two-day hackathon was held in-person at University College London.

Date: 24 June 2022

Focus: This hackathon, held in-person at Brunel University London (with remote participation also available), focused on Verification, Validation, and Uncertainty Quantification (VVUQ) for High-Performance Computing (HPC) simulations, specifically utilising the SEAVEA toolkit (SEAVEAtk). Participants collaborated with SEAVEAtk experts to apply selected tools from the toolkit to their own codes and applications. Support was also provided for existing SEAVEAtk users looking to add more rigorous VVUQ to their applications. The SEAVEAtk suite includes tools such as EasyVVUQ, EasySurrogate, FabSim3, QCG Pilot Job Manager, QCG-Now, QCG-Client, and MUSCLE3, all designed to facilitate robust VVUQ procedures for a wide range of applications. The event ran from 9 AM to 5 PM, the day after the ICCS conference.

Date:  23rd June 2022

Focus: The SEAVEA team organised a two-part event, a workshop and a hackathon, in June 2022, focused on Verification, Validation, and Uncertainty Quantification (VVUQ) for high-performance computing (HPC) simulations.

The "VVUQ on the Exascale" Workshop took place on 23 June 2022 as a hybrid event. It included talks and discussions on the challenges and techniques of applying VVUQ at exascale, with a particular focus on UQ, surrogate modelling, and V&V.