Center for Scientific Computing and Visualization Research to be led by Dr. Sigal Gottlieb
The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth today announced the creation of the Center for Scientific Computing and Visualization Research, which will promote the high-level interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary development of innovative and powerful computational tools to address pressing scientific and societal challenges.
The dramatic increase in the speed and data-handling capability of high performance computers (also called "HPCs"), and a complementary development of novel algorithms, have transformed the nature of scientific investigation. Computation is now used regularly and intensively for the simulation of complex physical problems such as climate modeling, weather prediction, design of airplanes and engines, and the study of star formation and supernova, among many others. Scientific computation has joined experiment and theory to become a central pillar of modern science.
"At UMass Dartmouth we have a remarkable group of highly-qualified and well-trained scientists with complementary backgrounds and interests who develop and use computational algorithms to simulate and visualize complex physical problems," said Dr. Sigal Gottlieb, director of the center. "Our campus has significant multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary expertise in scientific computing and we want to leverage our existing strengths to build an internationally recognized center of excellence at UMass Dartmouth."
"The new Center will place UMass Dartmouth at the forefront of computationally-based research and education by providing intellectual, academic and technical leadership in the multi-disciplinary pursuit of discovery and innovation enabled by advanced computational methods and data visualization," said Dr. Robert Peck, Dean of the College of Engineering.
The Center for Scientific Computing and Visualization Research unites over a dozen faculty researchers in mathematics, astrophysics, mechanical and civil engineering, and the School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) who are currently funded by grants from the federal Office of Naval Research (ONR), Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), National Science Foundation (NSF), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and various private foundations and industry.
The Center for Scientific Computing and Visualization Research will promote the mission of the University by providing undergraduate and graduate students with high quality discovery-based educational experiences that transcend the traditional boundaries of academic field or department, and foster collaborative research in the computational sciences within the University and with researchers at other universities, National Labs, and industry.