There is no shortage of science geeks in the Sidnet team, but when phrases such as “scientific computing”, “machine learning”, and “data science” come into play, the one who reacts most vividly may be Krzysiek Pisera. Our Senior Lead Developer overseeing work on projects for Edge NPD is a proponent of a scientific approach to software development and business management.
No wonder science is a keyword running through the open‑source and non‑profit projects we support at Krzysiek’s request. What are those projects?
SciPy
An open‑source software kit based on Python and used when solving various mathematical problems in software engineering.
The basic elements of the SciPy “ecosystem” are:
- NumPy—a program used for matrix calculations
- Matplotlib—a plot creator
- iPython—an interactive interface
- SymPy—a symbolic computing package
- pandas—a program for supporting data analysis
- SciPy library—a basic library for scientific computing
In several recent projects for Edge NPD, Krzysiek used NumPy, pandas, and iPython packages. Thanks to the SciPy library (the scipy.optimize package in particular), he solved optimization problems from the areas of linear programming.
“Solving our Client’s mathematically modeled business problem involved simultaneous operation on over 150 variables. In addition, constraints on these variables were dynamically created based on user‑provided instructions. As a result, executing just one optimization required performing up to a thousand mathematical equations and inequalities. The SciPy library allowed the finding of solutions in just a few seconds,” explains Krzysiek.
SciPy means also an engaged community of creators and bloggers as well as annual conferences held in Texas and their local versions: EuroSciPy, SciPy Japan, SciPy Latin America or SciPy India.
Paraphrasing Joey from “Friends”, our Senior Lead Developer sums up: “What’s not to like? Python? Good. Open-source? Good. Science? Gooood!”
Foundation for Polish Science
A non‑profit organization supporting scientists and research teams for the past 30 years. Apolitical and self-financing in principle, it is the largest extrabudgetary source of science funding in Poland.
“START scholarship program ensures that the brightest scientists under 30 do not give up their research careers for economic or personal reasons. The development of Polish science should not require many years of sacrifice for young scientists,” says our lead developer.
In addition to consistent funding for scientific development, the Foundation is credited with, among other things, introducing Polish Studies at the Columbia University in New York and the Cambridge University in Great Britain.