[Pw_forum] open online course on Computational Materials Physics using QE

[Nicola Marzari]

(posted on behalf of Prof Stefaan Cottenier)


Dear PWscf'ers,


this is to let you know that from September 25 till December 11, a free
and open online course about Computational Materials Physics will be
available from Ghent University. This course uses Quantum ESPRESSO as a
demonstration tool, and might therefore be of interest to some
subscribers of this mailing list.

The target audience is people with no prior knowledge about DFT, who
want to have a hands-on introduction. At the end of the course, students
will be able to read papers that report about DFT results, and they will
be able to make basic calculations with Quantum ESPRESSO themselves. A
general science education is sufficient as background knowledge. The
approach is conceptual and hands-on, not mathematical.

Note also that this is not a course about Quantum ESPRESSO as such. It
is a course about the basics of applied DFT, in which Quantum ESPRESSO
is used as an exercise tool.

The course follows a weekly pace, with the following structure:

- Watching a set of prerecorded lecture videos about the topic of the
week
- Solving tasks related to these videos – in most cases, there is
immediate automated or peer feedback after submitting the task
- Questions about the lectures and tasks can be submitted at any time,
and students can answer the questions of others
- Unresolved issues will be dealt with in the weekly feedback webinar
that is livestreamed. A video of the webinar remains available for those
who could not attend it live.

As an optional part, students can work in teams of four on a project. 
During the final webinar, the teams present their work.

The course website at www.compmatphys.org is currently under
re-construction. If you want to participate or just want to look over
the shoulder, you can leave your email there. You will then be notified
a few days before the start at Sep 25.

Taking part in this course happens on an voluntary basis – there is no
official credit given by Ghent University (an unofficial honour’s
certificate can be provided after completion, though). However, it’s
worth inquiring whether your university agrees to give you credit for
taking this course – perhaps after making an exam supervised by your
local instructor. At Ghent University, the course+project is budgeted at
6 ECTS credits.

Experienced DFT users/teachers are welcome to audit the course. We’re
open to suggestions and corrections, as well as to collaboration.