[Image] Overview of NPAC The Northeast Parallel Architectures Center (NPAC) is a research and development center focusing on high performance computing and communications. Established at Syracuse University in 1987, the center is directed by Geoffrey C. Fox, a pioneer in the development and application of parallel computers, who assumed NPAC leadership in 1990. Since then the scope of NPAC has broadened to include world class computational science research and education, and most recently research and development in high performance communications with particular focus on support for the National Information Infrastructure (NII). There is a strong emphasis on computational science applications where one seeks to obtain "real solutions to real problems." NPAC's InfoMall technology transfer program puts high-performance computing and communications (HPCC) to work in industry. Other major projects include research and development in the areas of parallel languages and parallel compilers, including work on High Performance Fortran (HPF) -- a standardized parallel version of Fortran; distributed computing; parallel database technology; integration of relational databases with the NII; parallel algorithms; distributed and cluster computing; and networked digital multimedia applications providing Information, Video, Imagery, and Simulation on demand. Our major research and development programs naturally strengthen the new educational program in computational science. Resources Intellectual: NPAC's intellectual resources include a permanent professional technical staff having PhDs in a variety of Computational and Theoretical Science disciplines -- as well as faculty and graduate students from four participating university departments. NPAC Senior Research Staff and their current primary focus activities: * M. Baker (Cluster computing, benchmark) * D. Bernholdt (Nason fellow, chemistry) * G. Cheng (Database, software integration) * P. Coddington (Web technology) * G. Fox (Director) * W. Furmanski (Web technology) * T. Haupt (HPF) * D. Leskiw (HPF and BMC3B) * M. Makivic (HPF, financial modeling) * R. Markowski (HP networking) * N. McCracken (Education) * B. Mihalas (Database & IS, K-12 education) * K. Mills (Education, environmental science) * M. Podgorny (HP networking and hardware) * D. Warner (Nason fellow; VR, telemedicine) * H. Yau (HP applications) Closely affiliated faculty and facility directors who currently or frequently collaborate with NPAC are: * E. Bogucz (Dean, ECS) * S. Bossert (Dean, Education) * S. Catterall (Physics) * A. Choudhary (ECE) * J. Deppa (Newhouse) * C. Driscoll (Env.Eng.) * M. Eisenberg (IST) * S. Hariri (ECE) * L. Liddy (IST) * E. Lipson (Chair, Physics) * S. Lisson (Dir. Video Communications) * A. Middleton (Physics). * M. Nilan (IST) * S. Ranka (CIS) * R. Small (IST) In addition, there are about thirty external research projects that use the NPAC facilities. Physical Facility: NPAC's $9 million HPCC facility has six mid-size commercial massively parallel processors (MPP) and high performance media and/or database servers: IBM SP2, nCube2, Dec MasPar, Intel iPSC860, and TMC CM5. Distributed computing facilities include IBM, Digital, SUN and Silicon Graphics workstation clusters and a fiber-based networking backbone. High speed networks include a FDDI ring and ISDN and ATM networks. Programs of NPAC NPAC, with its academic partners at Syracuse University and at institutions nationwide, engages in interdisciplinary research, development, education and technology transfer in high-performance parallel computing. NPAC has also developed an active research and development program in the new arena defined by the convergence of high performance computing with high speed networks that handle digital-analog conversions and with distributed and collaborative networking tools. Primary research program areas include: NPAC Core Technology Projects Federally and privately funded NPAC research projects provide the base enabling technologies upon which NPAC builds its applications and outreach activities. Major research activities include work on: * Portable & scalable parallel languages e.g.Fortran90D * Parallel databases * Visualization techniques * Integration software (e.g.MOVIE) * Database - online IS integration * World Wide Web Technologies * Scripting and markup language uses * Data streaming technologies * ATM and ISDN networking Computer Science Research NPAC Research Scientists and Affiliated Faculty engage in computer science research aimed at making parallel computing technology more "usable". Research is conducted in areas of: * Parallel Software * Parallel Algorithms * Physical Computation * Distributed Computing * High-speed Networks * Problem Architectures. * Neural Networks * CS support for 2 NASA and 1 NSF Grand Challenge Projects. Computational Science Research Parallel computers are achieving unprecedented performance enabling academic and corporate scientists to solve problems that were considered unsolvable in the past. NPAC's computational science associates are pioneers in the emerging field of computational science which combines the unique capabilities of the natural sciences and of computer science to develop more robust approaches to solving computational problems. Project areas include: * Computational Physics * Computational Neuroscience * Computational Bio-Physics * Computational Chemistry * Computational Fluid Dynamics * Computational Financial Modeling Higher Education Since 1990, Dr. Fox has led an initiative to develop Computational Science curricula throughout the university. Today undergraduate and graduate programs are available in multi-disciplinary areas such as medicine, aerospace engineering and physics. NPAC has also partnered with Syracuse University departments to pioneer new interactive forms of education delivered via the Internet's World-Wide Web. K-12 Education NPAC seeks opportunities to enhance K-12 education by integrating into the classroom quality resources delivered via high performance and internet-based technologies. Current projects include delivery of outstanding video collections in the Living Schoolbook project and delivery of an extensive collection of WWW accessible K-12 collections that have been cached at NPAC. The most recent effort will provide database access over the web for kids to study and contribute environmental and other scientific data. Collaboration External Academic: NPAC is a member of the prestigious Center for Research in Parallel Computing (CRPC), a research consortium of seven participating institutions in Parallel Processing: Argonne National Laboratory, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Rice University, Syracuse University, University of Tennessee, and University of Maryland. The work of CRPC provides core technological advancements which are then shared with industry through the InfoMall program run by NPAC. NPAC also has numerous collaborations with other institutions of higher education and national laboratories. Syracuse University: NPAC routinely collaborates on research proposals and projects with schools and departments at Syracuse University. Joint projects currently involve the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Newhouse School of Public Communications, the schools of Education and Information Studies, the Physics department as well as Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering and other departments at the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science. Industrial: Through InfoMall, NPAC has numerous industrial collaborations ranging from using HPCC technologies for design of new aircraft to applying parallel computing for a new generation of video games. Technology Transfer: InfoMall InfoMall is NPAC's technology transfer program, which introduces and integrates parallel computing and a broad range of other HPCC technologies into industry by enabling NPAC scientists and affiliated Syracuse faculty to apply their knowledge to large, complex industrial applications. InfoMall also provides industry access to the latest parallel machines, and education and training in high-performance computing. InfoMall has a further state funded mission of supporting small software businesses in the HPCC area. The InfoMall Focus In essence, InfoMall serves as a virtual R&D staff to its members and project partners for the development of : * Parallel and distributed high performance applications * Parallel Databases and Data-Mining Systems * High-Speed Networks (ATM, ISDN, etc.) * Advanced Internet (WWW) Capabilities In collaboration with other InfoMall members and prominent university programs, InfoMall is developing high performance systems and solutions for organizations in Banking and Financial Services, Health Care, Insurance, Publishing, Media & Information Services, Telecommunications, Marketing & Market Research, Public Utilities, Education, Government Services, and other sectors. The InfoMall facility at Syracuse University's Center for Science & Technology provides an unrivaled testbed for commercial development of information technologies. Through InfoMall, developers and industry users can learn about the latest technology while developers can work with other members to create turn-key, commercial solutions and systems. Major Sponsors include: * Digital Equipment Corporation * NYNEX * IBM Corporation * Rome Laboratory * New York State Science and Technology Foundation * Center for Research on Parallel Computation (CRPC) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 1995. Northeast Parallel Architectures Center, Syracuse University, npac@npac.syr.edu