Workshop: Vision for Research and Development in Simulation-Based Engineering and Science in the Next Decade 

National Academy of Sciences Building, Constitution Ave. NW, Washington DC- April 22-23, 2009




Background

Simulation-Based Engineering and Science (SBE&S) is a key element underpinning future progress in science and technology, as has been identified in numerous government, national academy, and other reports.  In a recent report1, a panel of experts, convened by the World Technology Evaluation Center, Inc. (WTEC) on behalf of a number of U.S. federal funding agencies, has highlighted the progress being made in SBE&S worldwide and the growing competitiveness of activities in this area outside the United States.  This workshop is designed to bring together stakeholders in SBE&S from academia, government agencies, and industry to address the following questions:

Our goal is to develop a community-driven report on the future of SBE&S research in the United States. 

Day one (April 22) of the workshop will focus on the “why,” with presentations from leaders in academia, government agencies, and industry on the present and potential impact of SBE&S.  Day two (April 23) will involve breakout sessions, in which workshop participants will collectively address the question of how research and development in SBE&S can be most effectively advanced in the future.  The lessons being learned in other countries, as detailed in the WTEC report1, will be particularly relevant to these discussions.  


1Glotzer, S.C., S.T. Kim, P.T. Cummings, A. Deshmukh, M. Head-Gordon, G. Karniadakis, L. Petzold, C. Sagui, and M. Shinozuka. 2009. 
 WTEC panel report on international assessment of R&D in simulation-based engineering and science. Baltimore: World Technology Evaluation Center,
 Inc. www.wtec.org/reports.htm. 

Agenda

April 22, 2009, 8:00 AM-6:00 PM: National Academy of Sciences Building, Lecture Room

Theme: Why is SBE&S crucial to the future success of U.S. science, engineering, and industry, and how does it contribute to U.S. economic competitiveness?

7:30 AM  Registration and continental breakfast

8:00 AM   Welcome and introduction to the workshop - Peter Cummings, Vanderbilt University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

8:15 AM   Objectives and expected outcomes - Phil Westmoreland, National Science Foundation (NSF)

8:30 AM   Advancing simulation-based engineering and science in today’s economic environment - Keynote speaker 

9:30 AM   Revolutionizing engineering science through simulation: Summary of NSF Blue Ribbon Panel Study - J. Tinsley Oden, University of Texas at Austin

9:45 AM   International assessment of R&D in simulation-based engineering and science - Sharon Glotzer, University of Michigan

10:00 AM Break (20 min)

Summaries of relevant, recent studies and workshops sponsored by U.S. agencies

10:20 AM  Integrated computational materials engineering: A transformational discipline for improved competitiveness and national security - John Allison, Ford

10:40 AM  Simulation and modeling at the exascale for energy, ecological sustainability, and global security - Horst Simon,  Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)

11:00 AM  President’s information technology advisory committee report on computational science: Ensuring America’s  competitiveness - Daniel A. Reed, Microsoft

11:20 AM  Potential impact of high-end capability computing on four illustrative fields of science and engineering - John W. Lyons, National Defense University

11:40 AM  Computation-based engineering summit: Transforming engineering through computational simulation - Arthur C.  Ratzel, Sandia Albuquerque

 Noon         Lunch (60 minutes)

Perspectives from academia, industry, and national laboratories

1:00 PM   Global climate simulation - Jim Hack, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

1:20 PM   Earthquake modeling - Greg Beroza, Stanford University

1:40 PM   Computational mathematics -  Mary F. Wheeler, University of Texas at Austin

2:00 PM   Product design and development I - Loren Miller, Goodyear (ret.)

2:20 PM   Process design and development - Rex Reklaitis, Purdue University

2:40 PM   Econometric modeling - Gene Stanley, Boston University     

3:00 PM    Break (20 min)

3:20 PM   Data explosion and complexity in bioinformatics - Brian D. Athey, University of Michigan

3:40 PM   Cancer biology - Larry Nagahara, National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health (NCI/NIH)

4:00 PM   Computational molecular sciences - Teresa Head-Gordon, University of California Berkeley

4:20 PM   Nanomaterials - Thomas Schulthess, Swiss National Supercomputing Center

4:40 PM   Computational reacting flows - Jackie Chen, Sandia Livermore

5:00 PM   High-energy physics/large science projects - TBA

5:20 PM   Summary - Peter Cummings, Vanderbilt University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

7:00 PM   Dinner 

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April 23, 2009, 8:30 AM-5:00 PM: The George Washington University, Cafritz Conference Center

Theme: What research directions in SBE&S should be pursued in order to achieve the promise of SBE&S?

Four breakout sessions will be held in the morning and the afternoon.  Each session has a moderator and a reporter. Some individuals have been asked to provide short perspectives to stimulate discussion.

Sessions will focus on the strategic directions for SBE&S and the scientific infrastructure needed to address these questions.

8:00 AM  Registration and continental breakfast 

8:30 AM – 11:00 AM

I.                  Developing and implementing models: New physical models and algorithms  

II.                Creating software for creating models: Languages, performance analysis, and debugging

III.              Extracting knowledge from models: Visualization, validation, verification, and uncertainty quantification 

IV.            Education and training for modeling and simulation: Curriculum changes, minors and degree programs, and workforce development

11:00 AM Break (15 minutes)

11:15 AM Plenary summaries of topical sections I – IV

12:15 PM Working Lunch (75 minutes)

1:30 PM – 4:00 PM

V.              Using the model-data interface: Modeling paradigms, domains, simulations that require and/or generate data, and especially large data sets 

VI.            Discovery by simulation and modeling: Success and future prospects

VII.          Innovation and engineering design: SBE&S for optimization, design, and multiscale time-critical adaptive optimization like supply chain management and optimization 

VIII.        Multiscale methods: General methods for multiscale modeling 

4:00 PM  Break (15 minutes)

4:15 PM  Plenary summaries of topical sections V-VIII

5:00 PM   Adjourn

7:00 PM   Dinner

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Reports

Inventing a New America through Discovery and Innovation in Science Engineering and Medicine: A Vision for Research and Development in Simulation-Based Engineering and Science in the Next Decade

Conference Proceedings

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Feedback

The objective of this workshop is to identify and critically evaluate the most promising research areas and research themes in SBE&S. If you were unable to attend the workshop, we solicit your suggestions to determine the areas (1) that need the most work to overcome barriers to progress and (2) that offer the greatest potential for success. Even if you attended the workshop, you may provide comments and recommendations by visiting http://www.sbes-vision.org.

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Venues, Lodging, and Registration