Stanford launches Center for Computational Earth and Environmental Sciences

Stanford University, in collaboration with Sun Microsystems Inc., has established the Center for Computational Earth and Environmental Sciences, an interdisciplinary research effort designed to tackle critical questions about Earth processes, natural resources and the environment. Scheduled to be launched in September, the new center will include a high-powered computer facility that will enable researchers to develop more accurate models of earthquakes, energy reserves, aquifers and the impact of human activity on climate and other Earth processes. Based in the School of Earth Sciences, the center will be open to all Stanford scientists, mathematicians and engineers.

"It's about computer-driven science and science-driven computer design," says Professor Jerry M. Harris, center director and chair of the Department of Geophysics. "The center's unique focus will be the integration of Earth science with computer science, each driving development of the other."

Harris points out that, until recently, the lack of computational power prevented progress in understanding complex geophysical and atmospheric processes. "Today, however, computational capacity and the availability of large volumes of data from a variety of sources, such as satellites and ground-based observational systems, offer new opportunities for understanding how the Earth system works and how human activities interact with Earth processes," he adds.

To jumpstart the new center, Sun Microsystems of Santa Clara, Calif., will contribute more than $2 million worth of hardware, software and program support. Sun is a founding member of what the university hopes will be a larger consortium.

"With the growing demand to provide highly advanced technologies that can analyze complex data in near real time, technology transfer in Earth sciences has never been more important," says Kim Jones, vice president of global education and research at Sun. "We are pleased to cooperate with Stanford in providing the computational power and software technology that's critical to the energy and environment sectors' research community in Earth sciences."

In addition to research and high-productivity technical computing, the center will explore educational opportunities to fill the growing gap between mathematics and the sciences and engineering by combining a strong focus on scientific applications with state-of-the-art computational methods.

"It's not about having the fastest computer," Harris adds. "It's about creating a user-friendly environment in which the potential of both hardware and software is combined and optimized to solve Earth science problems."

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