Partnerships between University and School Faculty:
Using Computational Science to Attract Students and Empower Teachers

Arizona State University
Preparing Future Faculty
Phoenix, AZ April 9, 1999

SIAM Visiting Lecturer Program invited presentation

Dr. Kris Stewart (stewart@cs.sdsu.edu)
Assoc. Professor, San Diego State University

Director, Education Center on Computational Science & Engineering,
a partnership activity of the NPACI and San Diego Supercomputer Center
for the California State University System

This URL is www.edcenter.sdsu.edu/projects/siam_pff.html

Abstract:
Building on the success [1] of the Supercomputer Teacher Enhancement Programm (STEP) [2], which prepared over 40 secondary science teachers for the digital age beginning in 1993, the National Partnership for Advanced Computing Infrastrucure (NPACI) [3] continues to support cutting-edge research scientists with high performance applications, while exploring the tool use in the university and school classroom. A lecture and hands-on lab discussing Computational Science and providing examples of actual classroom use [4] with be presented. Current activities at San Diego State University [5] to foster a discussion with the participants at Arizona State University's Preparing Future Faculty program [6].
Main URLs:
[1] http://innovate.si.edu/1996/96short/96ea27s.htm
[2] http://step.sdsc.edu STEP Web Page
[3] http://www.npaci.edu NPACI Web Page
[4] http://www.stewart.cs.sdsu.edu/cs575/ CS575 Supercomputing
[5] http://www.edcenter.sdsu.edu Ed Center Home Page
[6] http://www.asu.edu/graduate/pff ASU Preparing Future Faculty

Enhancing Undergraduate Curricula with High Performance Computing Tools and Technologies for the California State University System and the National Education Community

National Science Foundation's Division of Advanced Scientific Computing made five year awards supporting two High Performance Computing (HPC) Centers in San Diego (www.npaci.edu) and Champaign-Urbana (alliance.ncsa.uiuc.edu), to build the national infrastructure in HPC through partnerships. Across these partnerships of partnerships, the EOT-PACI joined the education thrust areas of NPACI and the Alliance in the first intra-PACI partnership.
What is the mission of the EC/CSE?
Foster the incorporation of high performance research tools for scientific investigation into the undergraduate curriculum to better prepare learners for post-Baccalaureate activities where
are used in research and problem solving.

Computational science is the third leg of science, which complements theory and the "wet lab", and is made possible now through the increasingly sophicated mathematical models and ever-evolving computer power available on the desktop and via the network. It is the exciting blend of:

January 1999 introduction Ed Center activities is available CSU/AAHE presentation


Some recent images and projects of EC/CSE Activities

One of the newest NPACI partnerships is with the University of Minnesota's Secondary Education in Computational Science (SPECS)

Supercomputer Teacher Enhancement Program

STEP is an on going collaboration between the EC/CSE and the San Diego Supercomputer Center, begun in 1993. An overview of the program (with access to all handouts) was presented at Supercomputing '97 in San Jose: SC97. You may find the New Websites to be of particular interest. The STEP WebMaster Phill Vanderschaegen recently told me that one of the most widely used pages is from Mike Sixtus, Mar Vista High, on Chemistry in History. What do you think?

Mathematics

The professional societies and some PACI-EOT partnership activites. What is of interest to you?

Undergraduate Curriculum

The curriculum that can be developed can focus directly on

Resources for HPC

Overview of the National Partnership for Advanced Computing Infrastructure (www.npaci.edu)
NPACI (www.npaci.edu/Partners/partner.html) is an association of 39 universities and research centers from 18 states, with SDSC as the leading edge site. The San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) conducts and supports activities in computational science, a third fundamental method for conducting scientific research (in addition to laboratory experimentation and theoretical investigation). Computational Science is defined as using computers (in this context, high performance computers) and related computing technologies (such as applications software, high speed networking, scientific visualization technologies, and large data storage systems) to visualize, analyze, and simulate natural and social phenomena.

Application Thrust Areas of NPACI include


Technology Thrust Areas of NPACI include AND Education, Outreach and Training

Some examples of past and current projects of SDSC and NPACI:

The Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR, www.icpsr.umich.edu) is an NPACI partner within the Education and Outreach Thrust Area to encourage new disciplines to use technologies from High Performance Computing research sites. The ICPSR Data Archive (www.icpsr.umich.edu/archive1.html) is familiar to social science researchers and the ICPSR Summer Program (www.icpsr.umich.edu/sumprog/) is a long-standing opportuntiy bringing social science researchers together. ICPSR has plans to incorporate the High Performance Computing resources from the NPACI soon.

NPACI Data-Intensive Computing Environments: (http://www.npaci.edu/DICE)

 
US Economic History, a 3D visualization (http://www.sdsc.edu/GatherScatter/GSspring97/pailthorpe.html): A simulation of main economic indicators, in 3D coordinates (boom, stagflation, depression), to convey the extreme fluctuations during the first half of the century and the stability of the economy since World War II. Developed by Bernard Pailthorpe, Sydney Vislab/SDSC, and Richard Carson, University of California, San Diego/SDSC.

San Diego Bay Project (http://www.sdsc.edu/SDBAY/): A collection of databases, resources,  models, software, and literature, related to San Diego Bay, water quality issues in particular. The databases are searchable, some models can be run on-line, their results are visualized on maps and in VRML. More information and links related to the project are accessible from the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis page at SDSC.

Biodiversity Insight System (BIS) (http://biodi.sdsc.edu/): This system for analysis and visualisation (and mapping) of biodiversity data is being developed by the University of Kansas and the San Diego Supercomputer Center

EarthRise (http://earthrise.sdsc.edu/): This is an online collection of over 100,000 of photographic images of different parts of the Earth taken by astronauts during the Space Shuttle flights in the last 15 years.

Examples of projects underway at the EC/CSE. Short descriptions are at http://www.edcenter.sdsu.edu/projects/eccseproj.html
vBNS
vBNS proposal coordinated by CSU Chancellor's office. Participatation by SDSU, CalPoly Pomona, and CSU/SB within the CSU (just granted by NSF!). More information is at http://www.edcenter.sdsu.edu/projects/vbns_summary.html.

Examples of collaborations already formed by EC/CSE

Information about us (EC/CSE and NPACI):
  • Web site: www.edcenter.sdsu.edu
  • NPACI ENVISION Magazine; We have recent issue [Jan-Mar 1999] for you today as hard copy. Also available www.npaci.edu/envision/v15.1/ [online]. Notice, the article on Toward a Global View of Atmospheric Chemistry of Aerosols. The Ed Center is working with Prof. Dabdub right now.
  • www.npaci.edu/envision/v14.1/edcenter.html go directly to article on the Ed Center
  • NPACI Online October 1997

    • What can the EC/CSE do for you?

    Dr. Kris Stewart (stewart@sdsu.edu), Director
    Education Center on Computational Science & Engineering
    San Diego State University, Love Library Addition, Rm 73
    www.edcenter.sdsu.edu