LongITools Autumn School

A key part of any collaborative research project is to share and transfer knowledge among the consortium and beyond. This is especially important for exposome research because it is a relatively new area of science and we are constantly learning and developing new ways of doing things. With that in mind, LongITools recently held an Autumn School specifically for the project team members who are working with the data.

The Autumn School was hosted by LongITools partner TOR Vergata University of Rome at the Villa Mondegrone in Frascati, Italy. The main focus of the four days was to share knowledge on exposome data analysis, and the school ended with a session on communicating research to a non-scientific audience. The sessions were run by the TOR Vergata, Imperial College London and Beta Technology teams. Morning lectures were followed by practical sessions in the afternoons. Some of the lectures were recorded and we hope to share them publicly over the next few months.

Whilst there, we also learned a little history about the Villa Mondegrone. Built in 1573 on the site of the remains of a Roman villa, remnants of which can be seen today, it was residence to many Popes, before coming a college. It is now owned by the University of Tor Vergata.  In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII, a regular summer guest at the villa, signed the document which initiated the reform of the calendar now in use and known as the Gregorian calendar, replacing the Julien calendar. It certainly was an inspiring place to learn!

The LongITools team at the Villa Mondegrone