UW will have access for research purposes
JARED MILLER Star-Tribune capital bureau | Posted: Saturday, March 24, 2007 12:00 am
LARAMIE - The supercomputer that got state lawmakers and Cheyenne officials buzzing about economic development will also be a major boon for the new University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources, UW officials said Friday.
Slated for construction west of Cheyenne, the National Center for Atmospheric Research data center could have important applications in many academic fields at UW, and will enhance the university's ability to retain and attract top-tier scientists, they said.
"We will have a magnet that will draw computational geoscientists from around the world to get a piece of the action," UW President Tom Buchanan said.
The comments came during a Friday presentation to the university Board of Trustees. The trustees conclude three days of meetings today in Laramie.
The state Legislature last month appropriate $21 million to help build the $60 million supercomputer on land north of the new Wal-Mart distribution center, just off Interstate 80.
The project also requires an ongoing $1 million annual commitment from the state and a $2 million upfront payment from UW, which will come from a $12 million pot of state funds intended for the School of Energy Resources.
UW officials said they are willing to sacrifice $2 million from the newly created energy school for long-term benefits the school will reap from the supercomputer. UW researchers will have access to 20 percent of the supercomputer capacity.
Carol Frost, interim director of the energy school, said modern energy research and development is heavily reliant on computers that can quickly process large amounts of data.
For example, scientists increasingly rely on intensive mathematical computation to understand the movement of water and gasses through rock. But there is a shortage of computing power on that scale world-wide, she said.
"So the fact that Wyoming has 20 percent of this computer's time locked, and this is the biggest and fastest in the world, gives us a huge edge, not just in attracting faculty, but for the faculty who are here," said Frost, who is also a professor of geology and geophysics.
The supercomputer could be used to map Wyoming's underground mineral resources and provide data to help with recovery.
It also might help improve current extraction technologies, such as those used to enhance oil recovery through carbon dioxide injection, said Myron Allen, UW's vice president for academic affairs.
UW students also will benefit from the supercomputer by participating in projects related to the machine and its applications, Frost said.
Outside the energy school, the NCAR computer could be used to enhance aircraft design, weather prediction and areas of life sciences at UW, such as mapping molecular structures, Allen said.
UW officials cautioned that it will be some time before the university can take full advantage of its share of the technology, however.
Only a handful of scientists from a similar operation in Boulder, Colo. will know how to use the supercomputer initially. Those scientists will train UW employees and students.
"It's going to take a little while to grow into this machine," Buchanan said.
Reach capital bureau reporter Jared Miller at (307) 632-1244 or at jared.miller@casperstartribune.net.