Archive of past stories
Annotations accelerate supercomputer programs
(June 30, 2009)
Computer scientists must tweak codes to optimize performance on today supercomputers
a time-consuming process that often doesn translate from one platform to another. Orio,
a new software tool, uses annotations to automate the process.
Full story
Advancing the science of advancing interfaces (December 5, 2008)
Moving interfaces are everywhere, James Sethian says – in flames, computer chip
manufacturing and even inkjet printers. For almost 30 years, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
researcher has led efforts to build computer codes that track these complex fronts. The methods
he's devised have led to better semiconductors, improved medical images and other practical
applications.
Full story
Planning, placement and more: Optimization makes it easier (August 13,
2007)
Many everyday decisions may be thought of as optimization problems – problems that
seek to maximize or minimize desired quantities or qualities given certain constraints. Cynthia
Phillips and fellow researchers consider enormously complex optimization problems and
devise algorithms that let computers solve such problems quickly and efficiently.
Full story
Overture plays on methods for faster, more accurate models (July
31, 2007)
In simulating a physical phenomenon, some researchers use a single technique
or algorithm. That approach is not always the best choice. Bill Henshaw, an
applied mathematician at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, researches
ways to combine computational “tools” that automatically adapt
to efficiently attack specific parts of the simulation.
Full Story
Clustermatic: Supercomputing made easy –
almost (July 2, 2007)
DOE researchers have made it easier to link off-the-shelf PCs
into powerful parallel clusters.
Full story
Building tiny detectors (June 18, 2007)
An applied mathematician looks at how molecules’ shapes
affect the way minuscule structures come together. His work has
applications to tiny sensors capable of detecting substances in
minute amounts.
Full story
MADNESS makes sense (April 16, 2007)
A mathematical software framework called MADNESS could
help scientists study and simulate systems previously thought
nearly impossible. It has potential applications in energy,
drug development and other fields.
Full story
Putting the pieces together (April 16, 2007)
Scientists are redefining the computer operating system concept to provide
a framework for custom systems efficient enough for the next generation of
high-performance computers.
Full story
