Council on Academic Computing
November 13, 2008
Meeting Summary
Center for Simulation
and Modeling
Ken Jordan, Professor of Chemistry, discussed the Center
for Simulation and Modeling, which he co-directs. The most challenging computational problems in
a wide range of disciplines, including the sciences, engineering, and public
health, require the development of multi-scale techniques that allow simulation
to bridge orders of magnitude in time and length scales. The Center will provide the know-how and
resources to develop methods that exploit multi-scale modeling. In particular, the Center will provide
technical support, sponsor and coordinate courses in advanced computing, and
support a lecture series on topics related to advanced
computing.
Multi-scale techniques require greater computing power
than is typically available to a single researcher. Until recently, increases in CPU speed almost
singlehandedly drove enhancements in computing power. Further significant enhancements in
computational power will depend upon increased numbers of cores per CPU and
parallel computing (rather than increasing CPU clock speed). The Center will provide computing resources
that build upon these advances.
Resources will be available at the Center for Molecular and Materials
Simulations; via a campus-wide network called PittGrid;
and at the