CENTER FOR COMPUTATION & TECHNOLOGY

It is hard to imagine what possible characteristics the human eye and a star in space could share besides being round or that researchers of the two objects could find enough in common to collaborate on their work. But, researchers at LSU's Center for Computation & Technology, or CCT, say there is much in common and much to be gained from collaboration among four new associate faculty appointments the center has announced. Among the new associate faculty researchers are Sumanta Acharya, the L.R. Daniel Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Joel Tohline, LSU Alumni Professor of Physics; Robert Twilley, professor and director of the LSU Wetland Biogeochemistry Institute; and Christopher White, the Chevron Associate Professor of Petroleum Engineering. The concurrent appointments were made in a hope to create a synergy among researchers that could lead to quicker advances in a multitude of areas. Their research will include everything from understanding the complex structure of the eye and the inner workings of stellar objects, to better protecting our coast and understanding oil and gas movement underground for more efficient, cleaner production. "The appointment of these four researchers will allow them to use the computational know-how available at CCT to model and test their research problems as they reach out to other faculty across campus by sharing what they've learned in their particular research and methods," said Jorge Pullin, the Horace Hearne Chair in Theoretical Physics and lead in CCT's Coast to Cosmos Focus Area, which is the research group where the four will be based. All of these researchers are linked by a common focus: how fluids are transported in the physical world. They are also linked by the fact that they use the same research methodology known as partial differential equations, which are ways to describe the physical world using mathematical formulas. Acharya's research is focused on understanding turbomachinery and fluid transport in the eye, and Tohline is concerned with the movement of the burning fluids that make up stars. Twilley is concentrated on water movement as it relates to rehabilitating coastal and wetland ecosystems, while White's studies are focused on modeling the underground movement of oil, gas and water. "CCT provides an environment for interdisciplinary research in the computational sciences," said Acharya. "My research is in computational fluid dynamics, with an application focus in turbomachinery and biomedical flows, and there are a number of computational science and algorithm development areas where we can collaborate with other researchers in CCT to our mutual benefit." "Through the CCT's exciting and forward-looking programs, I am anxious to help foster the development of research groups across the campus who can take full advantage of emerging high-performance computing and grid technologies. I also look forward to helping to promote innovative developments in scientific visualization in a variety of research arenas," Tohline said. The new associate faculty members will be able to use CCT's connections and computational expertise to further their research in their individual areas of interest. The appointments also bolster the research impact the center will have on Louisiana and the globe. "We are excited to have the additions of these four distinguished faculty. Their partnership combined with the computing resources available at CCT could lead to amazing findings in the months and years ahead," said CCT Director Edward Seidel. "These appointments also help us realize our goal of building a more critical mass to broaden our international reach and influence on the computational sciences." These faculty are currently involved in other interdisciplinary, jointly-funded projects with CCT including the National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship, or IGERT, program in computational fluid dynamics, which trains and prepares graduate students to perform research in all areas of Coast to Cosmos. In addition to bringing their own research to the group, these faculty join existing investigators already doing research on black holes. For more information on CCT and its other focus areas, visit www.cct.lsu.edu.