Nedim Hadzic

First Impressions

I arrived in Edinburgh on a cloudy Sunday and what surprised me immediately is that there were only a couple of people on the streets. Well, later I learned that I’m in a residential area, but afterwards I discovered the beauties of this amazing medieval city.

Did you know that Edinburgh is one of the three cities in the world that are protected by UNESCO, together with Venice and the Vatican!? If you like Harry Potter and Lord of the rings, this city will be a dreamland for you! You feel like you are in one of those movies. It was funny because when I arrived I felt a bit awkward since wherever I looked I expected some witch to suddenly pop up from the corner 🙂

Photo: Edinburgh old part, panoramic view from the top of Walter Scott’s monument, 60 m high

I’ve never been to Scotland before and I didn’t know much about it, so I didn’t know what to expect. Especially because for me it was just the UK. Immediately upon the arrival, in the taxi from the airport I learned that Scotland is not England! And they don’t really like each other, especially because of the ongoing referendum about Scottish independence, which will be held in September. In the meantime I noticed that Scots are quite different people, they are more like Southern Europeans – they are much more open and warm in communication, which I think is not the case with the rest of UK.

I’m so happy to finally be here especially because of all those visa complications! Finally I managed to get my visa and started my SoHPC14’ experience. Luckily my supervisor is really nice guy!

Well I have to say few words why we’re here at the first place. What building jets mean in mechanical engineering, is what the HPC means in computing. Practically it means the main development and application of the most sophisticated computer technology to solve the most complex problems in the world of science and engineering. Through the years HPC became the 3^rd method in scientific research and engineering among theory and experiments. It gained importance because some scientific problems could not be solved with known technology and knowledge. In some cases we can’t even imagine what the result would look like, like in the case of the discovery of Higgs’ boson at CERN. The other reason is because high-end research and engineering need very expensive equipment, which is not possible to get or even build at all. Btw. did you know that Peter Higgs is emeritus professor from University of Edinburgh? Well after all, I can say that what I like here is that smell of science everywhere around the university campus and EPCC. Currently I’m trying to get into my research project with a huge help of my supervisor, so next time I hope will have something more technical to write about.

The SoHPC Experience

In my last days I visited many historic places in Edinburgh. This city is a synonym for history and the middle ages. One of the places I visited last weekend was Craigmillar castle – it is a beautiful fortress on the top of a hill and in the middle of the park of the same name. I had some difficulties finding it since I almost came to Portobello beach! Did I tell you that Edinburgh is full of parks and golf courses!? The castle itself is really beautiful, and since then I have been trying to imagine how people lived here at that time… It’s really inspiring!

I also visited a graveyard in Dalkeith road. Wow what a creepy place! Especially the northern part which is overgrown in greenery…and those broken tombstones… it’s really scary place to visit. I felt like I was living those movies à la Indiana Jones! My best friend is in love with those old medieval things full of secrets and stories and I think he will be very happy when I send him photos. Edinburgh looks just like made for that, including Edinburgh dungeons or more likely Gilmerton Cove to the south, together with Rosslyn Chapel. Seeing places like Rosslyn Chapel, which was featured in the Da Vinci code, is an extraordinary feeling, which inspires everyone who visits them with unforgettable memories.

Sincerely I didn’t know much about Edinburgh before this trip, and I’m really surprised with everything here. The whole city looks like it’s built as a museum dedicated to Middle Ages, King Arthur and Templar knights, witches, masonic secrets and all those facts from Dan Brown’s books. I really can’t explain feelings I have but I can say even now that, after I return home, I will be one of those who will return to this city again and again.

Even the scientific side of the city is something I really like since that’s something I have enjoyed since my childhood. I was also surprised when I heard that prof. Higgs worked here in Edinburgh even though I have been following every progress of LHC project (and am informed about his biography), but somehow I missed that detail.

And after all, people are something that makes any city, and if you don’t like that part, nothing else will convince you to have a positive impression. To be honest, before I came here, I was nervous about how I would get on with everyone in Edinburgh but I’m happy now to say that this experience was far better than I expected! The first person I met at EPCC was Catherine who encouraged me with all her positive attitude and warm hospitality and suggestions of places we should visit! I’m very grateful to her!

And about the project, everything is going very well. Even at the beginning when there were some difficulties catching the train, I was soon able to get on board! The project itself is related to numerical simulations in zoology, which was already built, so my task is to improve interface, add some new features and port it to ARM architecture. Everything has to be done in cooperation with my supervisor Nick, who was so happy to help me whenever I stuck! He is a really extraordinary man! Even though he is English, not Scottish 🙂