The Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences

The Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences

Introduction The Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences (ICES) is a unique organizational unit, dedicated to both research and graduate study in computational engineering and science, with a strong core in computational and applied mathematics. It is the home of the Computational Science, Engineering, and Mathematics (CSEM) graduate studies program, which draws students from traditional science, engineering and mathematics programs and transforms them into computational scientists, equipped with the mathematical and scientific background needed to tackle the most challenging interdisciplinary problems of today. ICES has also become a global base for international collaboration in computational science and engineering through the Institute s visiting scholars program, which annually hosts computational researchers from around the world for visits. Central to the ICES mission is the alliance of almost 20 interdisciplinary centers and groups conducting computational science and engineering research sponsored by more than 15 governmental agencies and industry partners. This brochure describes ICES and the infrastructure put in place to foster interdisciplinary research and academic study in computational engineering and sciences. Cover Image: The ICES Center for Computational Molecular Sciences developed this computer model of a molecule inside a transmembrane protein to help biologists understand the human body s cell signaling processes, which regulate disease resistance.

ICES founder and director, J. Tinsley Oden, has led the Institute s development since 1993.

ICES Director Message Near the end of the 20th century, much of the industrialized world was becoming aware that the foundations of science and engineering were undergoing rapid, dramatic, and irreversible change brought on by the advent of the computer. The steady increase in computer capabilities created an enormous expansion in the scope and sophistication of computational modeling and simulation and revolutionized the way science and engineering are done. Computer models and devices made feasible the study of enormously complex physical phenomena and engineering systems untouchable by traditional scientific approaches. They did this by transforming the mathematical models of science into forms that can be processed and solved using digital computers. Thus, they made forever obsolete the primitive calculations and renderings of yesterday and created a sea change in how problems are solved from the old hand-written calculations of practitioners a few decades ago to the machines today that can perform a quadrillion calculations per second and models that depict and analyze every event known to humankind. Today computational engineering and science impacts virtually every aspect of human existence, along with the health, security, productivity, and competitiveness of the nation. But to understand, advance and pass on to new generations this new discipline, significant changes to the infrastructure common in traditional universities were necessary. An environment for interdisciplinary research that facilitated the flow of faculty, students, and knowledge across conventional departmental barriers had to be constructed. This was the motivation for creating ICES. Dr. Tinsley J. Oden Founder and Director Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences Associate Vice President for Research The University of Texas at Austin 3

The ICES Center for Predictive Engineering & Computational Sciences simulates re-entry vehicles like this one speeding through the atmosphere at Mach 21 where the vehicle s thermal protection system must withstand extremely high temperature gas flows.

ICES Interdisciplinary Structure ICES provides an interdisciplinary hub at UT Austin for geoscientists, mathematicians, biologists, chemists, engineers, physicists and physicians fostering research collaborations on issues not supported through the conventional university structure. Crossing traditional disciplinary lines requires unique administrative support. More than 18 departments within the colleges and schools of natural sciences, engineering, geosciences and business share faculty who base their research in ICES, and teach and mentor students in the CSEM program. To allow for maximum benefit from this interdisciplinary exchange, the university developed new reporting structures, created new governing structures, and built new facilities. A unique organizational arrangement with the university enables ICES to fulfill its mission in interdisciplinary research and education. ICES reports to the president of The University of Texas at Austin through the vice president for research. To accommodate its dual role of managing sponsored research and administering a degree program a role conventionally assumed by colleges or schools the university modified its existing paradigm and adopted this enabling structure. An interdisciplinary governance structure consisting of three boards guides ICES development and operation. The ICES Advisory Board provides feedback and direction from an internal perspective. The ICES Policy Board develops policies to ensure compliance with the ICES charter and endowments. The ICES Board of Visitors conducts external reviews of ICES and advises on strategic plans. A building custom-designed for interdisciplinary research and graduate study houses ICES. The Applied Computational Engineering and Sciences (ACES) building, where ICES resides, has six stories and 186,000 square feet. Central to the university s campus, ACES is well known for its unique architectural features, and its role in effectively bringing together diverse groups. It accommodates a 2,900-square-foot Visualization Research Laboratory, a 196-seat auditorium, numerous video and conference rooms, and a dining facility for faculty and students. 5

As the focal point for computational research on campus, ICES brings together faculty from more than 15 distinct disciplines. Background image by Roy Stogner and the late Graham Carey.

ICES Faculty ICES has assembled a faculty comprised of many of the world s leaders in computational engineering, science and mathematics. Interdisciplinary teams of faculty, postgraduate and postdoctoral students are vitally engaged in this work, teaming experienced leaders with emerging talent. ICES intellectual leadership resides in its core faculty, where 20 percent are elected members of national academies. These include seven members of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering or Sciences, along with members of national academies of Austria, the Czech Republic, Great Britain, Norway and Sweden. at major national and international meetings. Their professional committee memberships annually exceed 475. Over the past 10 years they have authored more than 4,000 published articles and collectively have received more than 85,000 citations. Seventeen endowments help ICES retain this nucleus of academicians, providing faculty with flexibility and resources to explore the boundless opportunities for intellectual inquiry in computational science and engineering. The effectiveness of these endowments to recruit talent during ICES early years motivated an additional program to build ICES faculty. Collectively ICES faculty serve on about 150 national and international editorial boards of technical and scientific publications. As well, each year they deliver more than 250 invited lectures and seminars including numerous plenary and keynote presentations The Moncrief Faculty Recruiting Program was established in 2010 to continue to attract world-class computational scientists and engineers to ICES and support their work after they arrive at UT. 7

Hexahedral mesh models like this one of a CO 2 demonstration site provide the accuracy demanded by the ICES Center for Subsurface Modeling.

ICES Academic Programs Through three distinct learning opportunities, ICES seeks to provide students with intellectual tools to excel in virtually every scientific undertaking related to computational science and mathematics. Working with ICES faculty, computational science and engineering students are challenged with problems ranging from remediation of groundwater contaminants to cardiovascular disease and more. The CSEM and the National Initiative for Modeling and Simulation Graduate Fellowship Programs support outstanding students by paying tuition and fees, in addition to a four-year stipend. Typically more than one-third of the students enrolled in the ICES graduate studies program receive one of these fellowships. The remainder are generally supported by research assistantships related to ICES contracts and grants. The Computational Sciences, Engineering, and Mathematics Graduate Studies Program (CSEM) is ICES centerpiece academic program, offering M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Students complete advanced coursework in applied mathematics and computer science, in addition to the disciplines representing the modeling effort. The CSEM Program is primarily a Ph.D. program engaging outstanding students committed to excellence and multi-disciplinary computational research. Working alongside the faculty, students partner to meet the challenges of cutting-edge research. Graduates have developed rewarding careers and made significant contributions to research, academia, and technology. The Moncrief Undergraduate Summer Internship Program encourages early interest in computational science and engineering by underwriting qualified undergraduate students who work with ICES faculty, research staff, and graduate students on research during the summer. The Undergraduate Certificate Program in Computational Science and Engineering provides junior- and seniorlevel students in-depth study in this area. The highlight of the program is the introduction of seniorlevel students to independent research on problems in computational science and engineering that have applications cutting across many disciplines. 9

The ICES Computational Hydraulics Group models processes in the coastal ocean such as hurricane storm surge to aid design of better protection systems and emergency management practices.

ICES Research Support Programs Beyond the research centers and groups comprising the ICES research base, the Institute has developed five research support programs to further facilitate collaboration with national and international colleagues, as well as university peers. The J. Tinsley Oden Faculty Fellowship Research Program funds long-term and short-term visiting scholars and makes possible the constant and consistent infusion of new ideas and approaches to solving research problems. The program s foremost purpose is to bring outstanding researchers and scholars from academia, government laboratories, and industry to collaborate with ICES faculty and students. ICES annually hosts around 50 visitors from the United States and abroad, with visits ranging from two weeks to a year. ICES Seminars are hosted regularly to engage the university community, and each week feature lectures by top scientists on contemporary topics in computational science and mathematics. Subjects reflect the relevant and broad nature of ICES work such as climate change, heart disease, energy, drug design, natural disasters, space travel and more. The Postdoctoral Fellowship Program supports postdoctoral study of outstanding computational scientists who have recently completed a doctorate in an area relevant to research conducted at ICES. The Moncrief Grand Challenge Awards Program provides financial support for release time from teaching for UT Austin faculty to focus on this century s grand challenges in computational science and engineering. The ICES Distinguished Research Awards recognize outstanding research records, impressive and sustained contributions to ICES and the graduate program in CSEM, and dedication to CSEM students and research staff. 11

The ICES Center for Computational Geosciences and Optimization develops models of globalscale problems such as earthquakes, as well as simulations that provide insight into the basic principles that have shaped the planet such as the global mantle flow pictured here.