The CERN Accelerator School (CAS) and Uppsala University jointly organized a specialized school on a new theme this summer, with a course on digital signal processing, which took place in Sigtuna, Sweden, from 1–9 June.

The course was different this year in that the topic had never been treated by CAS, and unlike the usual specialized courses, the structure comprised 32 hours of theoretical lectures in the mornings and a 16-hour “hands-on” course in the afternoons. The latter (well thought out by experts from CERN) had novel logistical implications for transporting computers and evaluation boards (DSPs and FPGAs) to Sigtuna, in central Sweden.

The principle of this new approach was well received by the accelerator community. A total of 97 participants representing 23 different nationalities attended the course, with 80% of the participants originating from the CERN member states. The positive feedback from the participants showed that the course was a resounding success, all the result of the expertise and enthusiasm of the lecturers who volunteered 

to take on this challenge. Considering the quality of the preparatory work, as well as the experience collected during the course, it is certainly conceivable that such a course will be considered again in the not-too- distant future, either in the framework of another CAS or similar schools.

In addition to specialized courses,

CAS also organizes general accelerator physics schools at introductory or intermediate levels. More information about this and future courses, as well as examples of lecture notes from previous CERN accelerator schools and the corresponding proceedings.

(On picture, Participants at the specialized CAS school in Sigtuna. (Courtesy T Thörnlund, Uppsala.) )

Extracted from the original article you can find on CERN Courier, Volume 47 number 8 october 2007 here.