Central Michigan University's (CMU) award to make an Acquisition of a Cluster of Advanced Symmetric Multiprocessing Computers for High Performance Scientific Calculations will help to meet the needs of active and productive CMU scientists in the computationally demanding fields of theoretical nuclear and condensed matter physics, and mesoscale numerical meteorology. Targeted applications in this project include problems of nuclear structure, nuclear reaction rates, and thermonuclear reaction rates in supernovae. Applications in condensed matter and materials physics include studying the physical and chemical properties of nanometer-scale atomic clusters, and the functional properties of defective materials, including semiconductor systems proposed for use in quantum computing. These studies will involve calculations of unusual complexity that require access to advanced, high performance resources. Integration of the proposed research with education and training efforts is a major goal of the project. A series of hands-on workshops in High Performance Computing will be develop and deliver to fill a void that exists in the current curriculum at Central Michigan University. The workshops will be open to students and faculty from across the college. This project will also provide many opportunities to engage students directly in research. Dissemination of the research results is another important component of the project.
