NHR@FAU Retreat: Three days of bold ideas and team building
At the end of July, our NHR@FAU retreat took place in Bad Windsheim: We managed to gather over 30 people, including researchers, system administrators, software specialists, liaison scientists, and more, for three days packed with brainstorming, bold ideas, and good conversation. There was also plenty of time for our team to get to know each other better, which is not just essential for working together effectively, but it was also a lot of fun.
On the first day, we kicked off the event with a “Wild Ideas” session to
enable free and unrestricted brainstorming without limits. In the “Everything but Science” session in the evening, our colleagues had the opportunity to present their special hobbies and interests to others in a relaxed atmosphere.
Tuesday morning began with an overview of the development and growth of NHR@FAU. Following was a quick series of mini-presentations (called “Personal Blitz”) giving the entire team an overview of their colleagues’ talents, interests, and areas of expertise. Tuesday’s first afternoon slot was devoted to communication, with an interesting presentation by Anna Kahler, discussion, and hands-on elements. After a meeting of the executive board and a lively brainstorming session on upcoming events and giveaways, we ended the day with a casual evening program: The NHR@FAU employees were able to demonstrate their knowledge in areas other than HPC during a tricky and well-prepared pub quiz evening (with amazing team names like “Software and Fools”, “Helm-A”, “The Köstlers” or “4 1/2 Quarks”) organized by Jan Laukemann.
Last but not least, Wednesday morning provided an opportunity for intensive discussions in smaller focus groups, and the event concluded with a closer look at the research activities at NHR@FAU.
It was wonderful to see how much the NHR@FAU team has grown over the last years, comprising talent and experience in equal measure.
