FRASCAL Retreat 2026

Day 1

Our first day of the retreat began with a very smooth bus ride in nice weather, and almost everyone showed up on time. After we entered the impressive halls of Kloster Weltenburg, we were greeted by a real priest named Michael. He proudly emphasized that he was the authentic priest and told us about instances where the priests living here are mistaken for paid actors.

Following a welcome and program overview by Michael Stingl, the first session of the tandem presentations by our 3rd FRASCAL cohort kicked off. Ba Duc and Max began by presenting their work, which focused on a mathematical perspective and explored various theoretical models. Aditi and Prateek then took over to highlight the areas in which their research is similar and different. Afterward, the “newcomers” of the third cohort—Arash and Ehsan—presented, in a very lively and interdisciplinary way, how theory and practical application are linked. Azad and Sviataslau wrapped up the first session of the retreat. 

After the lunch break, our Mercator Fellow Anna Pandolfi, traveling all the way from Italy, gave a presentation on “Multiscale Modeling of Interacting Fracture Networks.”

To wrap up the first day, we went on a short boat ride followed by a hike. Since people completed the hike at different paces, unfortunately not everyone made it back to the boat heading to Kloster Weltenburg and had to make their way home in a more adventurous way than planned.

Day 2

The second day of the retreat began after a generous breakfast with a very lively presentation by Yuxin and Javad on the fracture behavior of porous materials, comparing foam and stone. The two gave a very well-done and vividly illustrated comparison of their work! Sebastian and Leon gave a lively presentation on LEGO and geckos, followed by Pahi and Lukas, who explored their research on commonalities. Bakul and Annika wrapped up the first session of the day by comparing high-density structures in rocks and bones.

Our spokesperson Paul Steinmann, provided an engaging and informative conclusion, drawing on his extensive experience to outline the entire scientific review process—with all its challenges and hurdles—for our doctoral researchers.

Our retreat was rounded out by a very informative and engaging workshop on AI. Sonia and Markus covered both legal aspects of artificial intelligence and those specifically relevant to the research process, as well as some entertaining facets.