Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SWATNET (Space Weather Awareness Training Network)
Période du rapport: 2023-03-01 au 2025-08-31
Space Weather Awareness Training Network (SWATNet) was a unique PhD network in the field of heliosphysics to train 12 Early Career Researchers (ESRs) with joint or double degrees.
Scientifically we aimed at breakthroughs in our physical understanding of key agents of Space Weather at Earth. Our student projects focus on analysing and forecasting solar activity and space weather with cutting-edge and interdisciplinary research techniques. They achieved a set of versatile transferable skills through day-to-day research work, our diverse training activities and secondments with our industry partners.
The project is highly important to society, as space weather influences our daily lives and affects critical infrastructure both in space and on the ground. The scientific work in SWATNet was targeted for increased physical understanding of the agents responsible for the space weather from the Sun to the Earth and covering time scales from seconds/minutes related to solar eruptions to solar cycles time scales (several decades).
We also aim at promoting, unifying and developing doctoral research education in Europe. We completed successfully our key objectives
- We trained a group (12 ESRs as highly-skilled and enthusiastic professional researchers with state-of-the-art Space Weather research approaches, making our students competitive for both academic and non-academic research careers.
- We gained and disseminated new insights into how doctoral training in Europe can be harmonised, as well as the best practices in PhD education across different countries.
- We developed and applied several new methodologies for studying fundamental physical processes related to the solar corona, solar eruptions, and the energization and transport of solar energetic particles.
- We enhanced the science return of the current and future research infrastructures that are led by Europe or where there is strong European involvement
Scientifically we aimed at breakthroughs in our physical understanding of key agents of Space Weather at Earth. Our student projects focus on analysing and forecasting solar activity and space weather with cutting-edge and interdisciplinary research techniques. They achieved a set of versatile transferable skills through day-to-day research work, our diverse training activities and secondments with our industry partners.
The project is highly important to society, as space weather influences our daily lives and affects critical infrastructure both in space and on the ground. The scientific work in SWATNet was targeted for increased physical understanding of the agents responsible for the space weather from the Sun to the Earth and covering time scales from seconds/minutes related to solar eruptions to solar cycles time scales (several decades).
We also aim at promoting, unifying and developing doctoral research education in Europe. We completed successfully our key objectives
- We trained a group (12 ESRs as highly-skilled and enthusiastic professional researchers with state-of-the-art Space Weather research approaches, making our students competitive for both academic and non-academic research careers.
- We gained and disseminated new insights into how doctoral training in Europe can be harmonised, as well as the best practices in PhD education across different countries.
- We developed and applied several new methodologies for studying fundamental physical processes related to the solar corona, solar eruptions, and the energization and transport of solar energetic particles.
- We enhanced the science return of the current and future research infrastructures that are led by Europe or where there is strong European involvement
Our ambitious training program was completed successfully. During Reporting Period (RP) 2, we organized one School and three Workshops; all these were in-person meetings with a remote option offered. Across the entire project, we organized three Schools and seven Workshops. These events equipped SWATNet students both with essential scientific background and a broad set of transferable skills (e.g. communication, project management, and business skills) relevant to both academic and non-academic careers. These training activities consisted of lectures and hands-on exercises kept by the supervisors, our industrial or academic partners and external invited speakers. Feedback from students was collected after each training activity.
A key component of the SWATNet included also a one-month practical training at the Gyula Bay Zoltán Solar Observatory in south-east Hungary and 2–3 month industrial secondments. Most of the observatory trainings were completed during the RP1 (eight ESRs), while the remaining (four) ESRs carried out theirs during RP2. Planning and scheduling of the industrial secondments began during the RP1, and all ESRs successfully completed them during RP2.
We organized several meetings during the project. During RP2 we held three Annual Meetings and the Final Conference. The Final Conference was a week-long event in Helsinki, open to the broader scientific community, educators, and policy makers. In addition, in RP2 we organised 19 Supervisory Board meetings, 2 Dissemination Committee meetings, and 5 Project Management meetings. The whole project combined, we organized in total two kick-off meetings, four Annual Meetings, 34 Supervisory Board meetings, 6 Dissemination Committee meetings, 12 Project Management meetings and 2 ESR Committee meetings.
SWATNet had particularly extensive outreach and dissemination activities. During RP2 we published two e-Newsletters, wrote 23 blog posts, organized panel discussion at the European Space Weather Week (ESWW) 2023 and SWATNet Open day at ESWW 2024, participated in EU Researchers' Night 2024, and held several local events. An important project wide activity was also participation to Horizon Results Booster (HRB), which started during RP1 and was expanded during RP2 by e.g. completing our dissemination portfolios. Through RP2 we continued active dissemination of the project results via social media and our webpage, including images, movies, and info graphics prepared for the Final Meeting. Our ESRs have presented their works actively in scientific conferences, totalling to over 90 presentations.
The project resulted in significant scientific contributions. RP2 was marked by increasing focus on research with a number of scientific publications published or submitted. In total our ESRs led 24 peer-reviewed publications (published or submitted).
A key component of the SWATNet included also a one-month practical training at the Gyula Bay Zoltán Solar Observatory in south-east Hungary and 2–3 month industrial secondments. Most of the observatory trainings were completed during the RP1 (eight ESRs), while the remaining (four) ESRs carried out theirs during RP2. Planning and scheduling of the industrial secondments began during the RP1, and all ESRs successfully completed them during RP2.
We organized several meetings during the project. During RP2 we held three Annual Meetings and the Final Conference. The Final Conference was a week-long event in Helsinki, open to the broader scientific community, educators, and policy makers. In addition, in RP2 we organised 19 Supervisory Board meetings, 2 Dissemination Committee meetings, and 5 Project Management meetings. The whole project combined, we organized in total two kick-off meetings, four Annual Meetings, 34 Supervisory Board meetings, 6 Dissemination Committee meetings, 12 Project Management meetings and 2 ESR Committee meetings.
SWATNet had particularly extensive outreach and dissemination activities. During RP2 we published two e-Newsletters, wrote 23 blog posts, organized panel discussion at the European Space Weather Week (ESWW) 2023 and SWATNet Open day at ESWW 2024, participated in EU Researchers' Night 2024, and held several local events. An important project wide activity was also participation to Horizon Results Booster (HRB), which started during RP1 and was expanded during RP2 by e.g. completing our dissemination portfolios. Through RP2 we continued active dissemination of the project results via social media and our webpage, including images, movies, and info graphics prepared for the Final Meeting. Our ESRs have presented their works actively in scientific conferences, totalling to over 90 presentations.
The project resulted in significant scientific contributions. RP2 was marked by increasing focus on research with a number of scientific publications published or submitted. In total our ESRs led 24 peer-reviewed publications (published or submitted).
With SWATNet, we established a unique PhD program that combined training in both research and transferable skills with multiple secondments, including observatory training, industrial exposure, and the mandatory 6-12 months placement at another network host institute. These activities underscored the value of diverse training for building competitive curricula and developing confident, creative researchers capable of addressing the challenges of today’s society. The secondments proved highly beneficial for all participants and are expected to have long-lasting impacts; Observatory training emphasized the importance of practical, hands-on experience. Secondments to other institutions, along with the associated double/joint degrees, facilitated the sharing of best practices across participating countries and doctoral programs, while providing both students and supervisors with fresh perspectives. Industrial secondments fostered students’ interest in non-academic careers and offered new insights into the role and practical implementation of industrial exposure as a standard component of doctoral education.
Scientifically, SWATNet produced several key progresses beyond state-of-the-art:
- Optimal predictors for solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) to enhance their forecasting
- Refinement of active region scaling laws to improve space climate models
- New understanding on the importance of the wave dissipation as a significant contributor to coronal heating and plasma outflows
- Obtaining new insights into the formation and propagation of solar energetic particles
- Improved understanding of CME formation and early evolution in the solar corona
- Enhancing CME propagation forecasting through the heliosphere using machine learning algorithms
- Characterization active longitudes in the corona with novel image-processing techniques
Furthermore, the network yielded several new models, algorithms and Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) for the benefit of also wider community (most available via GitHub or Zenodo)
- Codes for calculating eruption proxies
- GUI for the tracking and analysing solar magnetic flux ropes from simulation data
- GUI for the Drag Based Model to estimate CME arrival times
- Modular numerical framework to simulate particle acceleration and transport in complex coronal and heliospheric backgrounds
- Code using Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Model to forecast active region evolution
- Algorithms based on morphological transforms for automatic sunspot and facular region identification
All these scientific achievements have contributed towards improved understanding and forecasting of space weather.
Scientifically, SWATNet produced several key progresses beyond state-of-the-art:
- Optimal predictors for solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) to enhance their forecasting
- Refinement of active region scaling laws to improve space climate models
- New understanding on the importance of the wave dissipation as a significant contributor to coronal heating and plasma outflows
- Obtaining new insights into the formation and propagation of solar energetic particles
- Improved understanding of CME formation and early evolution in the solar corona
- Enhancing CME propagation forecasting through the heliosphere using machine learning algorithms
- Characterization active longitudes in the corona with novel image-processing techniques
Furthermore, the network yielded several new models, algorithms and Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) for the benefit of also wider community (most available via GitHub or Zenodo)
- Codes for calculating eruption proxies
- GUI for the tracking and analysing solar magnetic flux ropes from simulation data
- GUI for the Drag Based Model to estimate CME arrival times
- Modular numerical framework to simulate particle acceleration and transport in complex coronal and heliospheric backgrounds
- Code using Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Model to forecast active region evolution
- Algorithms based on morphological transforms for automatic sunspot and facular region identification
All these scientific achievements have contributed towards improved understanding and forecasting of space weather.