GOVERNMENT

Three notable speakers will lead each full day of the annual TeraGrid '10 (TG'10) conference to be held August 2-5 in Pittsburgh, PA. TG'10 will offer a full range of research, education and technical presentations for scientists, engineers, and others throughout academia ready to leverage their research using TeraGrid resources.

Gabrielle Allen from Louisiana State University will provide an overview on how computational modeling of complex systems (black holes and neutron stars) has enabled advanced scenarios using large-scale compute resources, distributed grids, and high-speed networks. Tim Killeen, National Science Foundation (NSF) Assistant Director, Geosciences Directorate, will discuss the essential role of cyberinfrastructure in the geosciences. Bob Wilhelmson, with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, will talk about Blue Waters, which comes online in 2011, and the anticipated science applications.

"Dr. Allen is on the leading edge of computational science," said conference co-chair Daniel S. Katz, with the University of Chicago/Argonne National Laboratory. "She knows what is needed for her science and how to fully leverage new technologies. Users like her are the ones who drive TeraGrid forward."

"We are delighted to have Dr. Killeen as a keynote speaker for TG'10," said Richard Moore, co-chair for the conference and deputy director of the San Diego Supercomputer Center. "Dr. Killeen chaired the 'TeraGrid Futures' committee and is a major advocate of cyberinfrastructure. We value his perspectives and insights as we look toward enhancing the world's largest, distributed cyberinfrastructure for open scientific research."

Continued Moore, "As another of our distinguished keynotes, Dr. Wilhelmson will give us a glimpse into what's ahead for scientific applications on Blue Waters, NSF's world-class supercomputer system to be available to the research community next year."

Following are the specific talk titles and abstracts for each speaker:

Dr. Gabrielle Allen, Louisiana State University
Tuesday, August 3, 9:00 am

Dr. Allen will describe how numerical relativity has led to the development of the Cactus Framework--an open, collaborative framework and set of toolkits for scientific computing, as well as numerous advanced scenarios exploiting grid and distributed computing, high-speed networks, and advanced visualization. She will describe how this work has led to the Einstein Toolkit Consortium, a new software effort in numerical relativity. Dr. Allen will then discuss the importance of the TeraGrid and prior national resources in supporting these efforts and reflect on current and future needs in scientific computing infrastructure.

Dr. Tim Killeen, National Science Foundation (NSF) Geosciences Directorate
Wednesday, August 4, 8:45 am

The NSF Geosciences Directorate has long supported the development of sustained cyberinfrastructure. These investments have significantly increased the capabilities and productivity of the national geosciences community. As a result, a rich portfolio of cyberinfrastructure tools and capabilities, together with an experienced and knowledgeable community, has resulted. The Geosciences community has worked with systems that encompass workstations to supercomputers, smart sensors to global remote sensor networks, and sophisticated data systems available to large communities of users. In addition, programs to develop human capital have been emphasized, ranging from graduate student educational programs to post-docs cyberinfrastructure programs and support for technology leaders for the entire science community. Dr. Killeen will present a brief review of the geosciences investments in cyberinfrastructure and some of the significant outcomes and future plans.

Dr. Bob Wilhelmson, National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA)
Thursday, August 5, 9:15 am

Blue Waters is expected to be the most powerful supercomputer in the world for open scientific research when it comes online in 2011. The system is a joint effort between NCSA, the University of Illinois, IBM, and the National Science foundation. It will be the first system of its kind to sustain one petaflop performance on a range of science and engineering applications. The project includes provision of the computer system and intense collaboration with dozens of teams in the development of science and engineering applications. Dr. Wilhelmson will provide a brief overview of the Blue Waters project and focus on some of the applications that are being prepared for use on the system when it becomes available.

Funded by the NSF, TeraGrid is the world's largest, most comprehensive distributed cyberinfrastructure for open scientific research. TG'10 will highlight some of the major scientific advances enabled by TeraGrid to date, covering significant findings across a wide range of disciplines. This year's conference is particularly noteworthy since it comes on the cusp of the transition from the current TeraGrid program to NSF's next generation eXtreme Digital (XD) program starting in mid-2011.

Registration is now open for TG'10, to be held August 2-5 in Pittsburgh, PA. Participants can save $70 in registration fees if they sign up before July 1, 2010. Attendees also are encouraged to reserve a room at the Sheraton Station Square to ensure accommodations at the TG'10 conference hotel. Room availability and rates are guaranteed only through July 2, 2010.