Nov. 21, 1997 Contact Ross West (541) 346-2060 Sources: Janice Cuny (541) 346-4154; Allen Malony (541) 346-4407 Editor's Note: "Computer Muscle: Changing the Way Science Gets Done" is available on the WWW at <http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~uocomm/inquiry/>. For a hard copy, contact Ross West at (541) 346-2060. EUGENE--Computer scientist Janice Cuny is at the center of a revolution in the way science gets done, according to an article published today in Inquiry, a research publication of the University of Oregon. Inquiry: Information from the Frontiers of Knowledge is printed as an insert in the Portland Business Journal. "For hundreds of years scientists have used one of two approaches--experimental or theoretical--to do their work," says Cuny, University of Oregon associate professor of computer and information science and a member of the UO's Computational Science Institute (CSI). "But now computation is emerging as a third fundamental approach. Computational science is an extremely powerful and rapidly evolving tool," she explains. The article, "Computer Muscle: Changing the Way Science Gets Done," describes how staggering advances in super powerful computers and computer-related technology--collectively known as high-performance computing or supercomputing--have extended vastly the scope and complexity of scientific research, both basic and applied, in a wide variety of fields. An example from the field of aeronautical engineering illustrates the point. During an extensive safety-testing program for the new Boeing 777, researchers purposely crashed one multimillion-dollar jumbo jet after another. Surprisingly, destroying multiple copies of the prototype aircraft was not astronomically expensive. Why? Because scientists using extremely sophisticated computer models destroyed "virtual" rather than real jets. This new research tool, virtual computer simulations, is composed of high-speed network technology, large-volume data servers, high-performance graphics workstations and, at its core, powerful parallel supercomputers, explains Allen Malony, a CSI member and UO associate professor of computer and information science. The Inquiry article reports that CSI computer scientists are involved in several large collaborative computational science enterprises. In one collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, CSI is contributing software support for the large computations needed to monitor such activities as the status of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. By exploding "virtual" bombs rather than real ones, the research collaboration provides great savings to both the treasury and the environment. Another aspect of the work of computer scientists at CSI is creating practical applications of computational science for CSI members in other fields of science. "These researchers are eager to apply computational science to their research," says Malony. "Our goal is to develop applications of this tool tailored to their specific needs in fields such as physics, biology, chemistry, linguistics, mathematics and geology." The Inquiry article highlights the work of one of these scientists, CSI member Doug Toomey, a UO seismologist, who uses supercomputing muscle to create three-dimensional "CAT scans" of the Earth that reveal geological features miles below the ocean floor. During a continuing series of expeditions to midocean ridges, Toomey has gathered an enormous volume of research data. With the aid of CSI computer scientists, he has been able to sift efficiently through the data and extract useful information in ways previously impossible. Another immensely powerful application of computational science, he says, is combining the data from various research efforts, sometimes conducted years apart. This wrings more results from the resources invested in research. "Whole new avenues of research have opened up for me--not just because of the hardware but also because of having access to a very sophisticated group of computer scientists," Toomey explains. "With the aid of these scientists, I'm now able to push my research forward more efficiently." For example, one aspect of his work that used to take days is now completed in an hour. Researchers will increasingly come to rely on computational science, Toomey contends. His students, he says, will be a part of this trend as they mature into tomorrow's working scientists. "My students are gaining experience not only in geology but also in developing algorithms for parallel computers. This is a powerful combination of skills--one future employers will recognize and seek out," says Toomey. Since its inception in 1995, CSI has put together a formidable computer facility with funding from the UO, the National Science Foundation, the Murdock Charitable Trust, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. Early this year CSI took a major step forward when it opened a new Visualization Laboratory featuring 10 high-end Silicon Graphics Inc. workstations suitable for the most complex scientific visualizations. -30- #P-7312/Local,OrDailies,OrSci,PDX