I found this image somewhere in the web, and that's perfect as spirit of the GraWIToN training schools. Our aim is to train young researchers in their field of research, but above all to give them the instruments to train their minds to think.
The open-mindedness, the curiosity, the hunger for knowledge make a young researcher a brilliant scientist.
GraWIToN schools aim at increasing these qualities in our young students.
During their Ph.D years the ESRs have to follow a series of schools dedicated to major research topics in the Gravitational Waves field, but also courses during which acquiring a series of complementary skills.
In fact, in addition to the fundamentals of Optics (OPT), High Power Laser (HPL), Data Analysis (DAS), optics Simulation (SIM), the students have to take courses for science communication, project management and additional technical courses for digital signal processing, statistics or machine learning.
The leitmotiv for these schools will be practical training sessions for all the topics they faced during frontal lessons.
They will work in teams, make experiences with instruments and control software or simulation and programming. They will be journalists and Marie Curie ambassadors.

The program will start in few month with the first GraWIToN school, which will be held at EGO, next to the Virgo Interferometer.
We call this 'The basic school': The ESRs, but also external students, which can register to this school, will have the opportunity to be introduced to groundwork research in GW.

Three weeks of lessons focused on gravitational wave science and technology.
The entire program can be found at this link http://events.ego-gw.it/indico/conferenceDisplay.py?confId=13.

A series of specialized school will follow this starting one:
- in November/December 2015 a school dedicate to Data Analysis will be held at GSSI, L'Aquila;
- in the first month of 2016 a technical school devoted to Optics, Laser and Simulation, will be held in Glasgow/Birmigham, UK.

Two other specialized school on Data Analysis and Optics, Laser and Simulation will conclude the first 2 years of training.
After this stage our ESRs will be ALMOST ready to work in Research Institution or Industry, but they will have to follow one more school, the last, but not least: a school on Project Management and Communication.
At that point we will be able to say: <<you are ready!>>

Homines dum docent discunt (Seneca)


written by Elena Cuoco

GraWIToN Scientific Coordinator

Additional information