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Welcome to the Berlin part of the European Graduate Program

"Combinatorics, Geometry, and Computation". Here you may find some general information about the program. If you are interested in the Zurich part of the program please click here.

Participating institutions
In Berlin the participating institutions are the three universities in Berlin - Free University, Humboldt University, Technical University - and the Konrad Zuse Center for Scientific Computing.

Partner institutions
This European graduate program, which exists since January 2000, has basically the same faculty like the old one (Algorithmische Diskrete Mathematik) and is a joint initiative with scientists from the Departments of Computer Science and Mathematics at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. The existing cooperation between the main partners "Berlin" and "Zurich" will be enhanced by other partner institutes in Belgium, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary.

Duration of the program
The program started in January 2000 and terminated in December 2005. The financial support for the six years was granted by the Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft (DFG). A graduate program following with a similar topic in Berlin is Methods for Discrete Structures starting October 2006.

Theoretical background
Discrete mathematics and theoretical computer science are the main research fields in the program. In particular, geometrical aspects will play an important role. The major scientific goal of the program is to intensify the cooperation and interaction between discrete mathematics, algorithmics, and application areas. Therefore, especially at the partner institute in Zurich, faculty members working in application areas like geographic information systems, computer graphics, computer vision, and operations research, are participating.The program is subdivided into four basic research areas: combinatorics, geometry, optimization, and algorithms and computation. In each of these areas at least one of the partners in the program is an internationally renowned center of expertise.

Scientific program
One of the essential ideas of the program is to let students not only study the immediate scientific area of their dissertation but benefit from the combined expertise of the scientists involved. For this purpose the partners will offer

  • special advanced block courses in their area of specialization. Doctorands are required to participate in at least one block course within each of the four basic research areas.
  • schools of about one week once or twice per year.
  • lectures and colloquia every Monday during the Semester. The lectures are held by our own faculty or guest professors in blocks consisting of one to three meetings. They provide a state of the art survey of new developments in one of the subjects represented in the graduate program. In the colloquium following each lecture new research results are reported. The Monday meetings take place alternately at the participating institutions in Berlin.
  • There will be one general workshop annually, bringing together all students and faculty involved in the program.
  • a special program for predoctoral and doctoral students, the Doccourse 2004 is offered in cooperation with our partners in Prague.

Student exchange program
In addition, each student in the program will spend 6 to 12 months as a guest at the partner university. A second advisor at this partner institution is assigned. In return the partners will send their students to Berlin for the same amount of time.

This exchange program is designed to give the students the unique chance to obtain insight into each of the research areas mentioned and therefore, in their scientific work, see possibilities that remain unknown to their peers staying with only one research group during their doctoral studies.

Language of the program
All courses in the program will be given in English.

Scholarships
The DFG offers a limited number of scholarships. The amount of the scholarship in Berlin is calculated according to the guidelines of the DFG and is up to Euro 1.468,00 per month, tax free (family supplement Euro 205,00).

Requirements for acceptance
Successful completion of a Diploma or Master's program in a field related to the topics of the graduate program (including computer science, mathematics, electrical engineering, and physics) which is clearly above average.

The program is open to applicants of all nationalities.

Requirements for successful completion
Acceptance and successful defense of a thesis. Active participation in four block courses in the areas of the CGC program, as offered by ETH Zurich and Berlin Universities. Students are also expected to participate in the regular scientific program (colloquia, seminars) related to the topics of the graduate program which are offered by the work groups involved; details have to be coordinated with the advisor.

Application procedure
Since the Graduate Program ends in 2005 there are no scholarships available any more.

Contact
knoll@inf.fu-berlin.de (Tamara Knoll, administrative) or alt@inf.fu-berlin.de (Helmut Alt, scientific).


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