This NSF CAREER proposal uses the most modern theoretical and computational tools to study time-dependent phenomena in atomic systems. The proposed research focuses on 1) the effect of very intense laser fields to produce multiphoton ionization in atoms and 2) the theoretical treatment of ultrafast optical pulses both above and below the optical limit. The PI intends to use the visualization techniques developed in his research on time-dependent quantum mechanics to make several areas of classical and quantum physics more attractive and easier to comprehend by students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.