Hi there! 

I'm Haluk, and I'm currently studying nuclear fusion through the FUSION-EP program. 
I'm at the University of Lorraine, working on my master's thesis. 

Curious about how scientists control fusion reactors around the world? 
I had little to no idea myself until I attended the winter school on Control & Operations of Tokamaks, organized by the Swiss Plasma Center at EPFL. It was more challenging than I expected—it introduced control theory, several models used in tokamak control, and how everything is modeled to manage such a complex machine. At first, I struggled to keep up, so I took my time, digesting the topics at my own pace. Now, I have a much clearer understanding of how control engineers manage experiments. 

During the eight intensive days, we were introduced to various topics, from control engineering to fusion plasma physics. After the lectures, we had exercise sessions led by assistants from SPC to reinforce the concepts. We also visited the tokamak at the Swiss Plasma Center, TCV, and participated in a poster session where attending students presented their research projects. 

Beyond the academic content, one of the most inspiring aspects was meeting so many scientists passionate about fusion and its future, all eager to contribute in any way possible. Seeing that really increased my motivation to continue studying in this field.