Training School on Electromagnetic Modelling Techniques for Ground Penetrating Radar

Split, Croatia, November 9-12, 2016

This Training School was targeted to PhD students, University students, researchers and engineers interested in numerical-analytical methods for the solution of scattering problems and  in electromagnetic simulation. 

Coordinators of the Training School were Prof Dragan Poljak (University of Split,  Croatia, TU1208 MC Substitute Member), Dr Silvestar Sesnic (University of Split, Croatia, TU1208 WG Member) and Prof Lara Pajewski (Sapienza University, Italy, TU1208 MC Chair).

Trainers were Prof. Dragan Poljak, Dr Silvestar Sesnic, Prof Lara Pajewski, Dr Albéric De Coster (Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium, TU1208 WG Member),  Prof. Antonis Giannopoulos (The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, TU1208 MC Member), Dr Raffaele Persico (CNR-IBAM, Italy, TU1208 WG Member), Dr Mercedes Solla (University of Vigo, Spain), Dr Nicola Tedeschi (Sapienza University, Italy, TU1208 WG Member) and Dr Craig Warren (The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, TU1208 WG Member).

The course  started with an introduction to the COST Programme and to the Action TU1208, followed by a lecture on Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) basic principles and applications. Different full-wave methods were presented, for the solution of forward electromagnetic-scattering problems in Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) scenarios: the finite-difference time-domain technique, frequency- and time-domain integral methods,  the cylindrical and spherical wave approaches. Open-source and commercial software for electromagnetic modelling were introduced. Trainees could learn how to use the new version of gprMax and E²GPR, freeware tools developed in the framework of the Action TU1208. These topics were complemented by lectures on processing and inversion of GPR data. Further lectures were devoted to presenting the TU1208 open database of synthetic and experimental radargrams, the  IEEE International Committee on Electromagnetic Safety (Sub-Committee 6), and to discussing how to achieve total transmission and deep penetration in lossy media.

Class Scheduling

Wednesday, 9 November 2016 - Introduction to COST and the Action TU1208. GPR basic principles and applications. Introduction to electromagnetic modelling of GPR.

Thursday, 10 November 2016 - FDTD technique. Use of gprMax and E²GPR. Processing of GPR data. Full-wave inversion of GPR data.

Friday, 11 November 2016 - Frequency-domain and time-domain integral methods for GPR. Processing of GPR data. How to achieve deep penetration of GPR signal in lossy media.

A permanent Poster Session took place, with posters prepared by Trainees to present their research activities. These posters can be downloaded from the right column of this webpage (see the list of Trainees who attended the school).

Photoalbum of the Training School:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/COSTActionTu1208/photos/?tab=album&album_id=573393616183616

Training School Grants

for PhD students & early-career investigators

The COST Action TU1208 offered 9 x  500,00 EUR grants to PhD Students and Early-Career Investigators  willing to attend the Training School. The COST Action TU1208 is proud to offer free courses: this Training School did not have a registration fee and Trainees from all Countries were very welcome to  attend for free.   

List of Granted Trainees

• Amin Amiri (TU1208 WG Member, University College London, United Kingdom)
• Maria Giulia Brancadoro (TU1208 WG Member, Roma Tre University, Italy) - Download Maria Giulia's poster!
• Alexandru Chelmus (TU1208 MC Member, National Institute of Research and Development for Optoelectronics -IROE, Romania)
• Martina Cogoni (University of Cagliari, Italy) - Download Martina's poster!
• Michał Dąbrowski (TU1208 WG Member, Nicolau Copernicus University,  Poland)
• Melda Kucukdemirci (TU1208 WG Member, Istanbul University, Turkey)
• Santo Prontera (TU1208 WG Member, Sapienza University, Italy) - Download Santo's poster!
• Sergii Roshchupkin (O.Ya. Usikov Institute for Radiophysics and Electronics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Ukraine)
• Viviana Sossa (TU1208 WG Member, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Spain)

List of further Trainees who attended the Training School

• Mario Birkić (Hrvatska kontrola zračne plovidbe d.o.o., Croatia Control ltd, Croatia)
• Mislav Blajic (FESB, University of Split, Croatia)
• Anatolii Chernov (Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine) - Download Anatolii's poster!
• Mario Cvetković (FESB, University of Split, Croatia) - Download Mario's poster!
• Alfredo Delgado (Texas A&M University, United States) - Download Alfredo's poster!
• Iliyana Dobreva (Texas A&M University, United States) - Download Iliyana's poster!
• Vicko Dorić (FESB, University of Split, Croatia) - Download Vicko's poster!
• Alessandro Fedeli (University of Genoa, Italy), only Day 1
• Marin Galić (Centar za mjerenja u okolišu d.o.o., Croatia) - Download Marin's poster!
• Tonko Garma (FESB, University of Split, Croatia)
• Haris Hadžić (Pomorski centar za elektroniku d.o.o., Croatia)
• Liudmyla Roshchupkina (O.Ya. Usikov Institute for Radiophysics and Electronics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Ukraine)
• Maja Skiljo (FESB, University of Split, Croatia) - Download Maja's poster!
• Antonio Šunjerga (FESB, University of Split, Croatia)
• Anna Šušnjara (FESB, University of Split, Croatia) - Download Anna's poster!
• Bojan Vondra (Pomorski centar za elektroniku d.o.o., Croatia)
• Ivana Zulim (FESB, University of Split, Croatia) - Download Ivana's poster!

Facebook Group of the Training School:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/957893040989814/

Photoalbum of the Training School:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/COSTActionTu1208/photos/?tab=album&album_id=573393616183616

Rules for Grant  Applications:

COST Training School Grants represent a contribution to cover travel, meal and accommodation expenses.  According to COST rules, only Trainees from COST Countries and from approved institutions in Near-Neighbour Countries could apply for a Grant. To submit a Grant Application, the following items had to be sent to school@gpradar.eu:

1. Curriculum vitae including the list of publications.
2. Motivation letter written by the Applicant.
3. Support letter written by the PhD Supervisor (for PhD Students) or by a colleague (for Early-Career Investigators, i.e., researchers who received their PhD no more than 8 years ago).

The applications were examined by the School Coordinators. Trainees from Croatia could apply  if their institute was  at least 200 km from Split. Local  Trainees were very welcome to attend the school for free, but they could not apply for a  Grant. Granted Trainees  attending the Sixth General Meeting as participants eligible of reimbursement were not  eligible to claim travel expenses for that meeting, as their travel  expenses were considered covered by the Training School Grant.

The selection of Granted applications was based on the COST key principles of excellence and inclusiveness. COST is supported by the EU Framework Programme Horizon2020 and its policy contributes to the "Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation" Horizon 2020 goal. To identify excellent applicants, we always ask applicants to submit a curriculum vitae, a motivation letter and a support letter. At the same time, we aim at achieving inclusiveness. This objective is developed by COST around three main elements: support to Early-Career Investigators, fostering of gender balance and support to researchers coming from less-research intensive COST Member Countries.