29th Ostrom Lecture: The Science Behind Science-Based Simulations

2010-02-24

7:30 PM; CUE 202

James Mac Hyman

Todays scientific world is experiencing a paradigm shift where the sophistication of mathematical models, the accuracy and efficiency of numerical algorithms, the robustness of computer software, and the power of computation have become so great that numerical simulations are now considered a third pillar, along with theory and experiment, in the triad of tools used for scientific discovery. The rate of advances in these fields, and our ability to simulate complex physical systems, will increasingly be the limiting factors in our ability to solve many of our most pressing scientific challenges. I will describe recent advances in mathematical models, numerical algorithms, software, and hardware that have allowed computer simulations of complex multidisciplinary problems to have unprecedented impact in guiding scientific discoveries and policy decisions with global consequences.