On Nov 1, Helmholtz AI consultant team leads Markus Götz (KIT) and Peter Steinbach (HZDR) visited the ​​Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung (GSI),  the first visit to GSI of Helmholtz AI members after the COVID19 pandemic. 

During walk-in service sessions, first we presented a general overview of Helmholtz AI, its structure, potentials and capacities. And second, the present consultants embarked on 1-on-1 sessions during which members of the host center shared their challenges and wishes to the consultants.

At GSI, the attendance of the general presentation was overwhelming. The seminar room for 30 people didn’t show many empty seats - despite the unfortunate cancellation by hessian.AI, co-organizer of the event. The present scientists had varying questions ranging from organisational to technical topics. To no surprise, many GSI members learned about Helmholtz AI for the first time. The walk-in sessions right after demod a broad scientific applicability of machine learning in science. Discussions spanned accelerator physics in operations monitoring, radiation therapy, particle identification in nuclear sciences and automated accelerator control. 

Overall, both teams of Helmholtz AI consultants and GSI members enjoyed a fruitful meet-up, an opportunity to exchange ideas and foster collaborations that we hope to repeat more often in the following years,