Asset Publisher
Newsletter October 2011
O C T O B E R 2 0 1 1
News from XSEDE is a monthly newsletter providing information on scientific discoveries made possible by the Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment and the people, places and programs involved. XSEDE is a five-year high-performance computing project supported by the National Science Foundation.
Richard Tapia, Rice University mathematician, professor, diversity advocate, and director of the XSEDE Scholars Program, is among seven individuals selected as recipients of the 2010 National Medal of Science. Tapia received the honor from President Obama during a White House ceremony on Oct. 21. The citation reads, "The 2010 National Medal of Science to Richard A. Tapia, Rice University, for his pioneering and fundamental contributions in optimization theory and numerical analysis, and for his dedication and sustained efforts in fostering diversity and excellence in mathematics and science education."
Video and transcript of the ceremony 
Scientists use TeraGrid/XSEDE resources to determine how shock waves move through solids
A new computer simulation technique developed using TeraGrid and XSEDE resources, provides scientists with a better observation technique for determining how high-speed shock waves move through solids and how the solids respond. University of South Florida scientists made the discovery while working with research colleagues from the Landau Institute of Theoretical Physics in Russia and the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC.
Read more about the shock wave research
With the help of citizen bird watchers and supercomputing resources, scientists are tracking huge numbers of birds as they migrate from hundreds of thousands locations around the United States. The data gathered by this massive project is expected to lead to signs of habitat changes and ecological issues that may need to be addressed.
Read more about tracking bird migration
Indiana University receives funding to establish new center for the study of genomics
Indiana University has received funding from the National Science Foundation to create the National Center for Genomic Analysis Support (NCGAS). The center will provide tools, services and access to resources, including XSEDE. Partners in the new project include the Texas Advanced Computer Center and the San Diego Supercomputing Center, and all three entities are principal partners in XSEDE.
Read more about the creation of NCGAS
Using XSEDE computing resources at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center and the National Institute for Computational Sciences, scientists are studying visualizations that help determine how "supermassive" black holes grow and could have formed billions of years ago, a seemingly impossible action, considering the "newness" of the universe. The three snapshots pictured here are from the researchers' simulation, which they called MassiveBlack. At three different redshifts (higher redshift represents earlier time), they show the evolution of a quasar associated with a supermassive black hole within the first few billion years of the universe.
Read more about research on supermassive black holes
Community software code helps scientists work together to build a better future
New tools, networks and cyberinfrastructure are being developed to allow for greater collaboration on community codes, which are software tools that help specific scientific communities work together to solve common problems and make new discoveries.
Read more about community codes
Visualization helps researchers see, analyze and interact with data in a more navigable and efficient way. Several recent examples of virtual experiments scientists were able to conduct via high-performance computing and visualization resources include studies of how earthquake-induced waves travel around the earth, how to predict the flow of the 2010 Gulf oil spill, and how to deliver drugs more effectively to the major arteries of the heart.
Following are events, deadlines and opportunities related to XSEDE:
- Campus Bridging issues Call For Proposals to college campuses regarding pilot evaluation program - PDF, 209k (Dec. 1 deadline)
- International fellowship opportunity for U.S. graduate students (Nov. 9th deadline)
- Faculty and campuses interested in programs aimed at increasing involvement in the computational sciences are encouraged to investigate XSEDE educational opportunities
