[iRIS WP2] meeting #4

Friday 14 Aug 2026, 09:00 → 10:00 Europe/Zurich

[iRIS WP2] Green Beam meeting #4

Attendees : Sabrina Appel, Lex Avstreikh, Adnan Ghribi

Distribution : Ralph Steinhagen, Omar Kamalou, Jacqueline Keintzel, Penny Madras

Quick recap

The meeting focused on planning and coordinating various aspects of the IRIS project, including training workshops, platform implementation, and upcoming events. Sabrina discussed organizing a GSI training workshop for Geoff between February and March next year, with potential support from Verena Kain and Michael Schenk, though she emphasized the need for assistance due to GSI's busy commissioning schedule. Adnan clarified that the training organization would be handled through a specific work package rather than falling solely on Sabrina's shoulders. Lex agreed to create a document explaining how Hopsworks contributes to the project for non-specialists and confirmed plans to potentially attend the October hackathon in Normandy, though final confirmation was pending. The group discussed the possibility of combining different training sessions during the hackathon week, which would include six teams tackling three challenges, including iRIS related cases. Sabrina provided updates on GSI's tight commissioning schedule, emphasizing the urgent need for physics operations by 2028 to avoid financial issues, and noted that machine time would be limited during the planned beam commissioning. Adnan mentioned ongoing hiring efforts for several positions including a project engineer, DevOps/MLOps engineer, and support engineer roles, though some positions were still pending approval. The conversation ended with discussions about a potential physical meeting in January after the Twinrise kickoff, where team members could collaborate in person.

Next steps

Adnan

• Organize a physical Work Package 2 meeting in Caen, right after the Twinrise kickoff in mid-January.
• Try to integrate an iRIS related case in the October hackathon if Penny can attend as case holder and team captain. An idea would be to use Geoff with a digital twin.
• Send a summary of the meeting to all participants for review and modification.

Lex

• Prepare a 1-2 page document explaining how Hopsworks contributes to the project, for non-specialists, and send it to Adnan by Monday.
• Confirm participation in the October hackathon in Normandy as soon as possible.

Sabrina

• Discuss with Johannes about the specific needs and expectations for the Geoff training workshop.
• Confirm with Verena and Michael if they can join and support the organization of the Jeff training workshop.
• Finalize the job descriptions for the IRIS positions after the discussion next week.
• Check Penny's availability for the October hackathon and confirm her participation.
• Follow up on Johannes' request regarding the summer student's questionnaire about Geoff usage.
• Follow up on Johannes' request on Measurement campaigns (likely not the first year due to commissioning constraints)

Summary

Geoff/GSI Training Session Planning

Sabrina explained that there are currently no normal shutdowns at GSI due to winter commissioning activities. Adnan suggested organizing a joint training session for the toolbox and Hopsworks platform to provide support to Sabrina. The discussion clarified that while Sabrina handles the technical aspects of training, the full organization responsibility falls under a specific work package led by Carsten within IRIS.

Sabrina proposed to prepare a combined Geoff training in February to help GSI staff use the system for commissioning purposes. Adnan suggested two approaches: either adapting to local priorities at GSI by potentially postponing some actions to the following year, or organizing the training earlier to train people for current commissioning needs. Sabrina confirmed she would coordinate with Michael and Verena to get them on board with the February training plan.

Hopsworks Explanation Strategy Meeting

Adnan discussed challenges with explaining Hopsworks concept and roles to the EB. Lex offered to create a simple 1-2 page document explaining how Hopsworks contributes to the project, drawing from experience with a telco client, and proposed organizing a workshop to demonstrate the platform. The team also discussed potentially combining these activities with an upcoming Hackathon in October in Normandie, though timing and logistics remain uncertain, particularly regarding Lex's availability due to the FeatureStore Summit on October 9th.

GSI Physics Results Timeline

Sabrina explained that GSI needs to achieve physics results by 2028 to avoid bankruptcy and operational costs exceeding the budget. She discussed plans for commissioning new equipment including SuperFRS and detectors, with a twin model currently in development though some measurements are still missing. Sabrina expressed concern about the urgency of these commissioning efforts.

Hiring Plans for IRIS

The team discussed hiring plans for IRIS (and the link with other projects), with Sabrina having prepared position descriptions but waiting for feedback on commissioning tasks before finalizing them. Adnan mentioned advertising for three positions including a DevOps/MLOps project manager, and a support engineer, while also requesting approval for two additional positions for IRIS related optimization task and surrogates. The group agreed to plan a physical meeting in January around the Twinrise kickoff event.