IGERT: Modeling Complex Systems - The Scientific Basis of Coupling Multi-Physics Models at Different Scales

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The need for accurate computational models for systems such as turbulent transport, mechanics of complex structures, and global climate change have far outpaced the growth of computing power, requiring the development of new approaches. This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) award will address this challenge through graduate research and training in a unified setting of science-based coupling of models across scales and disciplines. Specifically, the focus will be on tools used to describe phenomena that are not fully calculable in models using fundamental scientific principles. A large body of literature exists describing parameterized descriptions applied to specific physical processes. However, little knowledge is available on general cross-application guiding principles for science-based parameterization. The goal of this work is to develop science-based model coupling as a roadmap to guide the practice of computational modeling in science and engineering. The education plan will train a cadre of Ph.D. students who will lead the application of these techniques in industry, academia and national laboratories. Four education and training goals will be addressed: (1) Enable students to work in a multi-disciplinary setting; (2) Develop students to be leaders in science and engineering; (3) Establish and maintain a career-long network for students; (4) Expand the U.S. Ph.D. student base by targeting students at women?s colleges and universities with a large percentage of first-generation college students. Every member of society is affected by decisions or predictions based on computational simulations of critical processes, such as energy production, environmental protection, and infrastructural integrity. The research conducted through the proposed IGERT will address these important problems by providing new paradigms for computational modeling. IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries.