Welcome to ASCR Discovery, a Webzine about the research that powers computational science – the use of computers to gain insight and understanding of scientific questions.

The Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research in the Department of Energy Office of Science supports the projects described here. ASCR’s portfolio includes projects at DOE laboratories and many public and private universities. Such research may take years to reach fruition, but has profound impact on science and, ultimately, the way we live.

We hope you find ASCR Discovery enlightening, and we encourage your comments.

Power play
A Japanese supercomputer’s record-setting performance surprised American scientists — and set off a drive to keep American science competitive

Optimistic about optimization
Packing a bag may seem a far cry from searching for supernovas, but they’re both about optimization – the kinds of problems computer codes developed
at Sandia National Lab tackle.

Overture to success
A computer code framework
automatically applies the right tools
to the right computational jobs. Its uses include understanding just how explosives ignite.

Hot stuff
A computer simulation will show how new, efficient nuclear power plants can keep their cool.  The project will use a grant of 1 million processor hours from the Department of Energy’s INCITE program.

Plotting plasmas could influence fusion
A UCLA mathematician is creating faster, more accurate simulations of plasmas, the ionized gas clouds central to the power of stars – and of nuclear fusion. His models span huge scales of space and time.

Testing tradition
How the folklore of computer programming affects efficiency is a University of Maryland professor’s target.  He tests those traditions to find more efficient code-writing techniques.

Code collaboration
A bicoastal partnership helped make a fusion reactor refueling simulation run hundreds of times faster than before.  The results may answer questions about what refueling scheme is best.

High-performance heritage
The Department of Energy's high-performance computing centers have their roots in energy research, but have branched out to everything from bacteria to bosons.

It’s a virtual blast - new
An Oak Ridge National Laboratory researcher’s simulations of shock waves and detonations could provide insights into preventing pipeline explosions and other incidents.

Small scale, big deal
The physics of small-scale ocean activity like swirling eddies can affect large-scale phenomena like currents and climate, Susan Kurien says.  Her work could improve climate models.

Notable covers developments in the scientific computing field, including work that has gained recognition and researchers who are moving up or moving on.