While supercomputers are ideal tools for solving computationally intensive problems, they are usually underutilized because the scientific community has not been formally trained and exposed to such equipment. Visualization techniques are an effective tool in encouraging enthusiasm in future scientists and scientific endeavors. The Departments of Computer Science, Mathematics, and Physics are collaborating on an interdisciplinary project for high-speed networking hardware that will integrate the computation power of the university's two supercomputers with the visualization capabilities of existing graphics workstations. This equipment provides the necessary means for a project whose main objective is to give undergraduate science majors a foundation in the use of supercomputers as a tool for modeling physical phenomena and solving computationally intensive problems. The unique feature of the project is the emphasis on high-speed computation combined with visualization. The availability of both supercomputers and sophisticated graphics equipment enables students not only to model physical phenomena, but also to visualize the phenomena, which will lead to a greater understanding of the science involved. The target audience of the project is the upper-class science major with minimal programming background. The project is intended to generate interest in, and to introduce and teach, supercomputer programming to undergraduates in scientific disciplines. It may encourage joint faculty-student efforts through independent studies that involve supercomputer programming and use.
