Scientific Computing : Catalyst for Technology Explosion

Most of us have a definitive perception of science-at-work: a middle-aged scientist with mussed hair and a white lab coat draped about his overworked frame emerges from his dingy laboratory to test out his latest breakthrough. Invariably disappointed by his first (several!) attempts, he ponders the results of his experiments, has a flash of insight, and scurries back to his lab to try a new approach, or at least an additional twist. This scene, rife with Hollywood embellishment as it may be, still gives a general picture of how a lot of scientific discovery has been accomplished over the years. Researchers have invested scads of lonely hours, checking hypotheses in labs or searching for data in libraries, all in the name of technology. As computers and computer science rapidly pervade every nook of our society, however, things are beginning to change in labs all around the world.

In the last few years, the Internet has truly become our global meeting place, as information we didn't even know we wanted is suddenly indispensible and at our fingertips. In the scientific community, the Web is just the latest and greatest development in getting computers into every laboratory. This widespread move toward the extensive use of various computer science techniques in the world of technology at large is often referred to as "Scientific Computing" (SC). Scientific Computing can entail anything from searching the web for experimental data to developing a sophisticated set-up that allows a robot to perform an experiment automatically. The common thread is that all of these computer implementations allow the scientist to more efficiently carry out his work, leading to quicker, better solutions to many vexing problems.

In this series of articles, we will look at Scientific Computing issues which have had, or will soon have, great impact on basic and applied research around the globe. The first few installments will provide some background on how this field sprang into existence, with follow-on pieces looking at specific innovations and applications. It's expected that, while anyone with an interest in SC can follow and enjoy these works, many of the topics discussed will be new and innovative enough to give the expert in the area some food for thought and perhaps provide him with a new avenue to explore. Along the way, it's a near certainty that the gentle reader will gain a new appreciation for the extent to which computer science has positively affected our research communities, and, indeed, our day-to-day lives.

Go To Page: 1

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic