Content about engineering

Part two of our free-wheeling conversation with the organizers of the Internet2 Gender Diversity Initiative.

Researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory used supercomputers to model ocean vortexes and their effect on floating oil rigs. Their work has won industry awards — increasing safety and reducing potential harm to deep sea environments.

Buying a supercomputer can be a tough sell for administrators to make. A study by Clemson University researchers may change the argument.

Naturally occurring crystalline structures called zeolites have the ability to separate molecules, speed chemical reactions, rearrange atomic bonds, and break down long chains of hydrogen and carbon atoms. Scientists screened a large database of possible zeolite structures to find a few that can lead to cheaper ethanol and better engine lubrication. What they’ve discovered could mean greater engine efficiency and big savings for you.

Computer simulation has the power to enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to become more innovative and competitive. However, the cost of purchasing both the necessary hardware and software is often a major barrier to uptake.

Help is now at hand in the form of the CloudSME platform, through which simulation software packages and managed IT infrastructure can be rented on demand via a simple pay-per-use model.
 

Sometimes solar eruptions have a benign effect, perhaps only creating a spectacular aurora display. But at other times, they can be very dangerous to life on Earth. Stanford solar physicists Monica Bobra and Sebastien Couvidat have developed live forecasting techniques to provide more time to react.

Austin is a booming city experiencing traffic woes commensurate with its expansion. To model and visualize solutions, city planners look to TACC to help corral the stampede of visitors.

Physicists can tell the future — or at least foresee multiple possible versions of it. They do this through computer simulations. Simulations can help scientists predict what will happen when a particular kind of particle hits a particular kind of material in a particle detector. But physicists are not the only scientists interested in predicting how particles and other matter will interact. This information is critical in multiple fields, especially those concerned about the effects of radiation. Physicists and other scientists use the GEANT4 toolkit to identify problems before they occur.