Resources

Overview

In 2007, the University of Miami made a strategic investment in computational science by founding the Center for Computational Science (CCS). It was created to catalyze transdisciplinary research in science and engineering using cutting edge software and hardware and, more importantly, world-class expertise.

CCS is organized around 10 Focus Areas:

1. Climate & Environmental Hazards Led by Dr. Benjamin Kirtman, this Program is designed to support research and development involving oceanic, atmospheric, and climatic issues as well as problems related to fluid dynamics, solid structures, and materials.
2. Computational Biology & Bioinformatics This Program supports projects involving genomics, biological data management, molecular sequence and structures, marine ecology, biodiversity, and population dynamics. Dr. Vance Lemmon is this Program’s lead.
3. Drug Discovery The Drug Discovery Program includes a range of problems at the interface of chemistry, biology, modeling, data mining, electronic structure modeling, dynamics and kinetics. Dr. Stephan C. Schurer is the Director for this program.
4. Big Data Analytics & Data Mining  This Program, headed up by Dr. Mitsunori Ogihara, focuses on developing methods to understand large data sets, including data clustering and association rule mining. This Program lends expertise in large-scale nonstatistical data analysis across many disciplines.
5. Social Systems Informatics  As implied by its name, this Program is focused on the interaction within a social construct’s distinct-but-interacting components using tools such as data mining, storing, and processing.
6. Visualization The Visualization Program aims to develop and improve core technologies for comprehensive computational modeling, simulation, analysis, and visualization of natural and synthetic phenomena. Our researchers are focused on developing visualization tools for GIS, Biomedicine, Epidemiology, and Geophysical applications. The Program Director is led by Alberto Cairo, PhD.
7. Smart Cities  Headed by Rodolphe el-Khoury, PhD, Dean of the School of Architecture, the Smart Cities Program is CCS’s newest focus area designed to create services and training involving Smart Cities concepts.
8. Advanced Computing  Though considered a primary feature of CCS, this focus area is at the heart of a university-wide resource with a mission to provide the academic and research community at large with comprehensive advanced computing resources ranging from hardware infrastructure to expertise in designing and implementing leading-edge advanced computing and advanced storage solutions. The Advanced Computing Program has special interest in research and development of storage-based systems and processes. Joel Zysman leads this focus area.
9. Software Engineering Led by Christopher Mader, the Software Engineering Program provides expertise in software system design, development, integration and implementation. It provides services through two teams, software engineering and project management. Software Engineering focuses on delivering technical content while the Project Management Team provides leadership and coordination for systems projects.
10. Engagement and Outreach  CCS faculty and staff are committed to engagement and outreach, and  are involved with educational initiatives at many levels. Education and outreach offers courses, workshops, and mentorship to faculty, staff, and students throughout the University of Miami. The Center has active representatives on educational committees at the undergraduate, graduate, and medical resident levels. In addition, CCS hosts regular research seminars and are active in public outreach.

All Focus Area Program Directors report to Dr. Nicholas Tsinoremas, CCS’ founding Center Director, who reports directly to UM Provost Dr. Jeffrey Duerk. CCS currently supports over 1,500 university users who represent all disciplines noted above as well as communities in Music, Economics, and Finance.

CCS’s focus on data-driven science and engineering has enabled it to work on data services at, not only the campus level, but at the university level as well as within the state of Florida at partner and affiliate locations. The University of Miami has four main campuses and several distant locations, which are served by CCS for data and computing requirements. Many CCS members and associated faculty are already using national CI resources through XSEDE/TeraGrid, along with large-scale computations at NCAR, NOAA/GFDL, DOE/ORNL and NASA.

CCS provides access to several Advanced Computing systems (See the following Facilities section) and several large data pools that support a diverse set of scientific communities. The center currently operates a four-tier storage infrastructure designed to specifically accommodate data-driven scientific workflows from sensors/instruments to the desktop of the investigators and, as a broader impact, to science-based decision makers. CCS owns and centrally manages required facilities to support a broad user base’s requirements. This centralization of resources gives CCS great flexibility to approach large-scale research projects while still providing computer resources to all university faculty members, their students, and group members.

Call on CCS to utilize our resources.  Contact us via email at  ccs@miami.edu, or call 305.243.4962.