As the earth and physical sciences rely more and more on extremely large, complex datasets obtained via large scale observational efforts and high-performance computations, scientists must be better prepared to understand and work with cyberinfrastructure tools (CI) for data analysis, interpretation, and presentation. This requires a demand for scientists who are able to use and develop visualization methods and collaboration tools. At the same time, effective development of CI by computer scientists requires deep insight into the nature of the context, data, and questions surrounding scientific enquiry. Building on an established collaboration of computer scientists, geoscientists, and physicists at UC Davis, this project will train and mentor the next generation of computer scientists and domain scientists in a series of visualization methods and collaboration tools used for scientific problems as diverse as geologic mapping, mantle dynamics simulations and mineral structural analysis. Expanding on the extant research tools, multidisciplinary teams of students will develop CI educational tools and prepare CI-based instructional modules focused on geosciences and physics. The goal is to interest and educate a diverse student population in using, supporting, developing, and designing geoscience CI at various levels of the educational system by: Developing, using, assessing, and disseminating flexible, production-quality and user-friendly scientific data visualization and analysis; mentoring student research in CI and providing CI courses for upper division undergraduate and graduate students; recruiting and preparing a diverse workforce of scientists to take full advantage of CI in their future careers in universities, industry, government, or K-12 education; and, creating attractive and accessible computational environments and visualization content to interest the general public in CI and visualization of geosciences data.
