COINS summer school 2020 in Metochi

The COINS summer school 2020 is CANCELLED owing to the Coronavirus pandemic

Welcome to the COINS summer school 2020 on Impact of Security Research

The COINS summer school is a one week intensive course for Ph.D. students in computer and information security and in related fields. In 2020 the summer school is offered at the UiA study centre in Metochi on Lesvos island, Greece.

outside of the rooms (two floors)

The COINS summer school 2020 will host a range of lectures by established as well as upcoming experts in the field.

Important dates:

Summer school: Sunday 19/7 to Sunday 26/7

We may be able to include a visit to ENISA, the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security, before the summer school. We are currently exploring how to achieve this in Athens on Friday before the summer school on Sunday.

The event has been cancelled.

Location

kveldssamling_large_fullwidthThe University of Agder’s (UiA) study centre in Greece is located in a monastery annex which forms part of the well-known Limonos Monastery, on the island of Lesvos in the Aegean Sea. As a monastery annex Metochi was founded in the 16th century, and it has been renovated for seminars and study purposes in recent times. The monastery and study centre is characterized by simplicity, good opportunities for studies and reflection, and a traditional Greek kitchen. Metochi has its “agora” – a small “amphitheater” – for the good dialogue, a library for private studies, a lecture room for the good monologue, and a small courtyard and garden for thought and reflection.

Limonos, the main monastery, is a cultural centre in the Northeast Aegean. It was founded early in the 16th century, and holds great treasures from the Byzantine period. The monastery is central in the Byzantine tradition, and it was also important in the Greek people’s fight for independence almost a century ago.

Lesvos is the third largest island in Greece. It is about 100 km long and 50 km wide, and has approximately 125.000 inhabitants. The surroundings are beautiful, with a diverse flora and fauna. The monastery is located in the countryside 4-5 km away from the sandy beaches of the bay of Kalloni.

Lecturers


TBD

Titles of sessions might change while we finalize the programme.

Schedule

Sunday 19/7 Arrival to Lesvos/Metochi

Monday 20/7 Teaching

  • 0900-0930 Information meeting
  • 0930-1300 Session 1: TBD
  • 1700-1900 Session 2: TBD
  • After dinner – presentations by participants, vivid discussion

Tuesday 21/7 Teaching

  • 0900-1300 Session 3: TBD
  • 1700-1900 Session 4: TBD
  • After dinner – presentations by participants, vivid discussion

Wednesday 22/7 Teaching

  • 0900-1300 Session 5: Approximate Search in Intrusion Detection
  • 1700-1900 Session 6: Approximate Search in Intrusion Detection

Thursday 23/7 Break/Independent Study

  • Social event: TBA

Friday 24/7 Teaching

  • 0900-1300 Session 7: TBD
  • 1700-1900 Session 8: TBD
  • After dinner: presentations by participants, vivid discussion

Saturday 25/7 Teaching

  • 0900-1300 Session 9: TBD
  • 1700-1900 Session 10: TBD

Sunday 26/7 Departure

Programme committee

Hanno Langweg, COINS
TBD

General chair

Hanno Langweg, COINS Scientific Director, NTNU

IMT6003 3 ECTS

Participants can register for the IMT6003 COINS Summer School course at NTNU. Successful completion is documented with 3 ECTS that can be used towards the taught component of a Ph.D. programme. COINS students can register free of charge for IMT6003. Students outside of COINS might be subject to an administrative fee. Please contact us if you are interested.

Students enrolling in IMT6003 need to actively participate in the summer school and document this participation. Documentation comprises:

  • A report on the candidate’s Ph.D. topic, how it fits into the field of information security under special consideration of ENISA’s work in the research area of the candidate. Minimum 4 pages A4, submitted as pdf to info@coinsrs.no no later than Monday 2020-07-13T2359.
  • Students need to ask at least one question per day and need to document the question and answer in a reflection report.
  • A report on the summer school, summarizing all sessions, establishing connections between the topics of the session and relating TBD to the student’s own Ph.D. project. Minimum 6 pages A4, submitted as pdf to info@coinsrs.no no later than Monday 2020-08-10T2359.

Practical information

dining areahttp://www.uia.no/en/centres-and-networks/metochi/practical-information

Metochi Study Centre is located in a monastery dedicated to two Greek Orthodox saints, Saints Anargyroi (Kosmas and Damianos). The monastery was founded in the 16th Century as one of several annexes to the well-known Limónos Monastery. The monasteries are connected by a stone path from the same time period, stretching two kilometres over the hills. The annex Metochi has been restored in recent years, but is still characterized by its original simplicity.

Metochi study centre houses 25 bedrooms, 13 showers, 9 toilets, auditorium/lounge, library/reading room, dining hall, courtyard and churches. The conditions are simple with bedrooms for 1-4 persons in old monk cells. The bedrooms are modestly equipped. Rooms might have fans, but are not air-conditioned.

(If you prefer to stay in a hotel, you can do so in Kalloni, e.g. at Hotel Malemi. Please note that COINS does not cover hotel accommodation outside of the study centre and that you would have to organise your own transfer between hotel and the study centre.)

The monastery is situated in the countryside by the bay of Kalloni, approximately one hour’s drive from the airport. The nearest town, Kalloni, is 3 km from the monastery. Kalloni is a local trading centre with banks, a post office, medical assistance, pharmacies and different shops. The sandy beaches of the bay of Kalloni are at a distance of 4,5 km from Metochi. By the beach is a small fisherman’s village, Skala Kalloni, with hotels, taverns, restaurants and bars. The landscape between the monastery and the villages is flat and well suited for bike rides.

The monastery is not in daily use by the church, but there are still restrictions as to activities and clothing. Participants are advised not to wear clothes equivalent to bathing outfits within the monastery walls. While visiting the main monastery Limónos, shoulders and knees should be covered.

Regular standard: Breakfast (0800-0900), lunch (1300-1400) and dinner (warm meal, 1900-2000) is included, with beverages (juice and wine) during the meals. The participants are provided with sheets (but not towels).

We recommend bringing a flashlight for dark nights and a sunhat for use during bike rides and excursions.

The participants are responsible for being covered by their own travel insurance. Those who have a European Social Security Card should bring it.

There is internet access and Eduroam most places at Metochi.

Special diets

The kitchen at Metochi will, as far as possible, make alternative dishes for vegetarians and guests with allergies. It is not possible to obtain gluten-free bread locally, so guests with gluten allergies are requested to bring their own bread or crackers. Gluten-free options for breakfast are yogurt and honey, for lunch salad and cheese. It is possible to make a gluten-free dinner option. Gluten-free dessert will usually be fruit. Please contact the course-coordinator before the start of the seminar if there is a need for special diets or a vegetarian diet. Guests who require special diets may contact the office staff at the start of the course to review the menu.

Arrival

Arriving at the monastery, cars might not be able to drive all the way to the entrance gate because of the narrow roads. The participants must therefore be prepared to walk for approx. 5 minutes with their luggage. If the arrival is scheduled after dark, having a small flashlight available will be helpful. If the arrival is after 20:00, sandwiches and drinks are served, otherwise dinner is served at 19:00-20:00. The Metochi information meeting usually takes place in the lecture room at 09:00-09.30 the day after arrival. Bike rental by a local partner can be arranged.

Getting there

Direct flights out of OSL are sold e.g. by Apollo. These flights are OSL-MJT 0600-1035 and MJT-OSL 1135-1415.
1650-1745 or 1950-2055 ATH to MJT seems to be a practical and popular option for those connecting via Athens.

Please let us know when you are going to arrive and depart so that we can arrange for transfer from MJT airport to Metochi (and notify us about changes in your communicated itinerary).

It takes approximately one hour to get to Metochi from the airport. We envision to have common transfer for participants arriving within the same time window. Let us know in the registration form when you plan to land. If you land early, e.g. with the direct flight from OSL, please expect to spend some time in Mytilini – the city has a harbour and a castle and multiple tavernas. The study centre is in use by other groups before our arrival, so you will have to wait until the evening to get to your room.

Check-out in Metochi is planned to happen right after breakfast so that the rooms can be prepared for the next group arriving on the same day.

Funding

COINS students/faculty: COINS covers travel and accommodation using the least expensive practical alternative. COINS will book hotel rooms in Athens for those visiting ENISA. You need to pay for travel and will be reimbursed later following the usual procedures. The hotel in Athens and the Metochi study centre are being paid for by COINS centrally. Depending on the total number of participants, students may need to share rooms (though most probably everybody will have a single room). If you have preferences on sharing, please let us know.

SWITS/COINS partner students: COINS covers travel and accommodation under the same conditions as for COINS students. The offer is limited to a certain number of students. Students need to write a travel report reflecting on their experience and need to send us a picture of them wearing a COINS t-shirt in a summer school session.

Other students/faculty: COINS covers accommodation at Metochi under the same conditions as for COINS partner students, but participants have to cover their travel themselves. In addition, a fee of 300 EUR is to be paid for the week (Sunday-Sunday). If you would love to attend, but could not because of a lack of funds, please get in touch with us. We have a limited support budget for students that do research in the field and who make a compelling case on why their attendance would contribute to the summer school.