theory 
model 
implementation 
assessmenta. Provide a brief overview (approximately 1-2 paragraphs) of the proposed program, including a description of the academic area and a rationale for offering this program at the present time. Please include a description of any related degrees, certificates, or subspecialties (concentrations, areas of special emphasis, etc.) that may be offered now or in the foreseeable future.
We propose a four-year, research-rich curriculum leading to Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Computational Physics at Oregon State University. Computational Physics (CP) is a subfield of both Physics and Computational Science, the latter being a developing interdisciplinary field that combines science, applied mathematics, and computer science to solve realistic and often complex problems. More specifically, computational science students focus on the scientific, mathematical, and problem-solving skills needed to solve problems using computers, while computer science students focus on computer hardware and software in their own right.
The OSU Physics Department has already developed an award-winning two-quarter course in Computational Physics [UCES], a text book that is serving as national and international models for an undergraduate CP course [Reviews], web-based tutorials and demonstrations that enhance the course and text [NACSE], and a newer-still one-quarter course in Introductory Scientific Computing. With the addition of one new course, an Advanced Computational Laboratory, the modification of one other, and the use of courses offered in other departments, we propose to assemble a coherent and innovative B.S./B.A. degree program in CP. This program would also help meet the nationally-recognized need to provide undergraduates with research experience, an experience usually associated with more highly-ranked universities.
By teaching some of the computing classes within the Physics Department, we will be able to adjust their content and depth to provide a balanced program with the allowed credit limit. This will also permit us to work around the budget difficulties that restrain other departments from teaching shortened versions of the courses taught to their own majors. Our undergraduate program may also act as a stepping stone for further interdisciplinary programs at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
At present, ``Computational Physics'' is an option of the Physics B.A. and B.S. degrees and an area of concentration at the M.A., M.S., and Ph.D. levels. However, we have found that in practice it impossible for this option ``to work'' as the students need to take prerequisite courses years before they normally consider the CP option. While we suspect that the new B.S./B.A. degree in CP should make this option superfluous, we would prefer to leave it in place until the new program gets underway. (It may prove useful as ``safety net'' for those students who start, but do not complete, the B.S./B.A. in CP program.)
b. When will the program be operational, if approved?
Within one year, depending upon when approval is finally obtained, with a three year development phase:
a. What are the objectives of the program?
Our objective is to have students understand how to perform scientific computations and experience the interweaving of high-performance computing and communications into the fabric of modern science and engineering. When successful, the mathematical equations and connections among physical idea become alive before students' eyes, and the students understand physical systems at a level usually attained only in a research environment. Whereas a decade ago computational science educators were content for undergraduates to view scientific computation as ``black boxes'' and to wait for graduate school to reveal what is inside those boxes [LSU], our increasing reliance on computers makes this less true today, and much less true in the future [PITAC].
Much of the computational materials students will encounter in our program come from
basic research projects, and will be set in the scientific problem-solving paradigm
[UCES,Shodor]:
problem theory model implementation assessment
where the assessment links back to all steps in the big box. This paradigm distinguishes the different steps in scientific problem solving, encourages the use of a variety of tools, and emphasizes the value of continual assessment. Building our material according to this paradigm not only emphasizes the need to know more than what is in the traditional physics curriculum in order to be creative in computational physics, but also makes it easier for students from non-physics disciplines to follow the material and take the courses. While a benefit of our program will be increased understanding of physics content, use of the problem-solving paradigm will deepen scientific process skills [Root-Bernstein]. Finally, in line with trends in computing and communication technology, the curriculum will have a strong emphasis on the World Wide Web (the ``web'') and computer-mediated learning as tools for communication, computing, and concept formation.
b. How does the proposed program support the mission and strategic plan of the institution(s)? How does the program contribute to attaining long-term goals and directions of the institution and program?
``Oregon State University aspires to stimulate a lasting attitude of inquiry, openness and social responsibility. To meet these aspirations, we are committed to providing excellent academic programs, educational experiences and creative scholarship.''
``Three strategic goals guide Oregon State University in meeting its mission.
Statewide Campus Oregon State University has a historic and unique role in Oregon. As a land-grant university, our heritage is articulated in the statement 'the State of Oregon is the campus of Oregon State University.' We emphasize the importance of extending the University into every community in Oregon. OSU will provide learning opportunities for Oregonians, and will create and apply knowledge that contributes to the prosperity of the State and its quality of life.
Compelling Learning Experience Oregon State University is committed to creating an atmosphere of intellectual curiosity, academic freedom, diversity, and personal empowerment. This will enable everyone to learn with and from others. This compelling learning experience celebrates knowledge; encourages personal growth and awareness; acknowledges the benefits of diverse experiences, world views, learning styles, and values; and engenders personal and societal values that benefit the individual and society. OSU will develop curricula based on sound disciplinary knowledge and input from practitioners. Students will acquire skills and knowledge for a lifetime of learning, and will be involved in scholarly and creative pursuits.
Top-Tier University Oregon State University aspires to be a top-tier university. It is a Carnegie Doctoral/Research-Extensive University, a sea-grant institution and space-grant program, in addition to being a land-grant institution. We will measure our success by: the caliber of entering students, the accomplishments of students and alumni, the quality of the faculty, the quality of instructional and research facilities, the effectiveness and productivity of engagement with businesses and constituents, and the support for research and scholarship.''
Response
This is a time of extraordinary advances in science, technology, and education. At the core of these rapid developments is a dramatic increase in the power and use of computers. A bachelor's degree in any computation science is rare in the entire country. To the best of our knowledge there is only one B.S. degree in Computational Physics in the US [ISU], and just several physics degrees with minors or specialties in CP [SU, RPI]. Trinity College, Dublin has started a B.S. in CP program, and in fact use our Computational Physics textbook in it. Just as we have been leaders in developing computational courses and texts [CIP, CPbook, Reviews], the proposed program would place OSU in a nationally-recognized leadership role of defining and refining an undergraduate CP curriculum, and help OSU in its quest for its Tier I status.
Our new B.S./B.A. in CP program will present to undergraduate students materials that have recently been developed in research laboratories and supercomputer centers. This is a distinguishing mark in the US New & World Report rankings of universities. It is also a first and needed step towards applying modern scientific problem solving techniques, developed at the frontiers of knowledge, to societal problems such as forest modeling, environmental modeling, nuclear cleanup, ground water transport, medical imaging, and energy management. The program will also support OSU's mission by advancing the integration of high performance computation and communication into education, by having professional schools, academic leaders, and employers recognize OSU's strengths and accomplishments, by providing scientists with the information technology skills in demand by today's industries and graduate schools, and by attracting new, higher-quality students to OSU.
In line with the thrust of the Alumni College, we would like to see students presently holding an OSU bachelor's degree in Physics or Engineering Physics have the opportunity to update their education by obtaining an additional B.S./B.A. degree in Computational Physics. This should be possible by spending an additional year on campus or by taking the additional courses over the World Wide Web.
While we do not view the web as a good teaching medium for general physics and for most students, one cannot beat having a motivated student sit at a computer in a trial-and-error mode in order to learn scientific computing [Cornell]. So while the proposed program will have professors lecture on the curriculum materials and work directly with students in computer laboratories, we will also integrate web and computer technologies into the learning environment. If requisite additional support is provided, we would like to convert our computational courses into forms that could also be used over the web. In time, it should then be possible to have present holders of B.S./B.A. degrees in Physics take the additional courses over the web and thereby obtain a second bachelor's degree. At that point it may make sense to incorporate the proposed program into OSU Statewide and the Alumni College [OSU-Statewide].
Accessibility and Diversity
The Physics Department already has a research group, the Science Accessibility Project [SAP], that develops ways to make scientific materials accessible to print-disabled (blind and dyslexic) students. The program proposed here will incorporate SAP developments as well as assist in SAP research by incorporating the techniques used to produce accessible documents with MathML and XML [MathML,XML] into the course materials. This is being accomplished in collaboration with world leaders in this area at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (a part of the University of California at San Diego), and with separate funding from [NPACI].
A special emphasis will be made to have women participate and succeed in our program. Although as a group women have low representation in Computer Science, surveys have found that they are more attracted to an interdisciplinary program that integrates computation with mathematics and problem solving [LEAD]. We thus expect the proposed program with its integrated approach to applications, rather than straight hardware and software, to be more attractive to women than pure Computer Science [LEAD]. In fact, we often have women in our computational classes, with several having gone on to graduate work in computational science.
To recruit women and minorities into our program, we will advertise, we will work with our colleagues at NPACI who have a particular interest in this endeavor, and will ask the assistance of Janice Cuny (University of Oregon, Computational Science Institute [UofO]), a recent member of the NPACI CRA Committee on the Status of Women in Computing Research, and a Co-PI on the NACSE project with Reynales, Pancake, and Landau [NACSE, Nacphy]. At OSU, we will collaborate with the Women in Physics mentoring program led by two female physics professors (Manogue and Tate) [WIP], and encourage our female students to participate in it. Finally, whether our program and developed materials are gender inclusive will be one of the focus points in evaluation.
There is a documented lack of racial diversity within the present high performance computing community, in particular, African-Americans, Hispanics, and American Indians [Tapia]. Landau has recently been collaborating with several historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) in connection with their establishing web education and training for the DOD's Aeronautical Systems Center Major Shared Resource Center Programming Environment and Training program [ASC]. Once the OSU program is established, we will use those contacts to recruit a diverse mix of students who we otherwise might not reach, and to have some of our students participate in research projects at those HBCU's with strong computational programs.
We have ongoing collaborations with Professor Manuel Paez of the University of Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia [Paez] and the National Society of Hispanic Physicists [NSHP] to provide Spanish language versions of much of our new materials. Although the thrust of that effort is towards Spanish-speaking countries, this part of our program may provide a welcoming environment that encourages more Hispanics to enter computational careers. We already have placed Spanish language tutorials on the web [Nacphy] and are in the process of translating our entire Computational Physics text into modern technical Spanish.
Over the years, the Physics Department has had academically-gifted students who are seriously dyslexic or physically disabled. Modern computing equipment has helped these student produce high quality research projects and excel in their careers. We will continue to look for ways to use the intellectual and physical leverage provided by computer and communication technology to permit people with disabilities to become productive scientists, and will ensure than our program is open and welcoming to them. (Footnote: Our most recent disabled student, Matt DesVoign, completed our M.S. degree program with a thesis project Web Education of Nonlinear Oscillations [Nacphy] in Spring 1999. He is now a successful employee at Apex in Seattle, a national leader in commercial web educational software, and is involved with field work in which he leads training
sessions.)c. How does the proposed program meet the needs of Oregon and enhance the state's capacity to respond effectively to social, economic, and environmental challenges and opportunities?
As discussed above in regards to support of OSU's mission, our new program will be providing undergraduate students with material that have recently been developed in research programs. The scientific problem solving skills learned in these studies are useful skills and may assist our students in solving societal problems. We will also advance the integration of high performance computation and communication into education, encourage recognition by academic leaders, professional schools, and employers of OSU's and the students' strengths and accomplishments, provide the information technology workers in demand by today's industries and graduate schools, and attract new, higher-quality students to OSU.
According to the American Electronics Association, although Oregon's high-tech work force grew nearly 40% between 1990 and 1996, technical degrees awarded in the state declined 25% during the same period. While the state is focusing on engineering and computer science education to address this problem, computational science programs such as the one proposed here in the College of Science could be part of the solution.
3. Course of Study
a. Describe the proposed curriculum (this may take the form of a list of course numbers, titles, and credit hours). In addition to providing a list of current courses, indicate those courses which will be added to present institutional offerings-emphasizing them with bold-face type.
Fall Winter Spring Fresh (47)
Diffrntl Calculus (MTH 251, 4) Writing I, 3 Persp, 3 Gen Chemistr (CH 221, 5)
Integral Calculus
(MTH 252, 4) Skills, 3 Gen Chemistry (CH 222, 5) Intro Scientific Computing (Ph/MTH/CS 265, 3)
Vector Calculus I (MTH 254, 4) Gen Phy, Rec (PH 211,221; 4,1) Gen Chemistry (CH 223, 5) Skills (3) Soph (45)
Vector Calculus II (MTH 255, 4) Gen Phys + Calc (PH 212, 4) Recitation (PH 222, 1) Perspective, 3 Biology, 4
Inf Series and Seqs (MTH 253, 4) Gen Phys + Calc (PH 213, 4) Recitation (PH 223, 1) Perspective, 3 Writing 327, 3
App Diffrntl Eqnts (MTH 256, 4) Intro Modern Phys (PH 314, 4) Perspective, 3 Linear Algebra (MTH 341, 3) Jr (45)
Analog and Digital Electrns (PH 411, 3) Oscillations (PH 421, 2) Static Vector Fields (PH 422, 2) Elective, 5 Perspective 3
Analog and Digital Electrns (PH 412, 3) Waves in 1D (PH 424, 2) Quantum Measurements (Ph 425, 2)
Central Forces
(PH 426, 2)
Synthesis, 3
Elective, 3
Sci Computing (PH 415/465, 3) Periodic Systems (PH 427, 2) Rigid Bodies (PH 428, 2)
Energy and Entropy (PH 423, 2) Classical Mechanics (PH 435, 3) Synth, 3 Sr (43)
Electromagnetism (Ph 431, 3) Research (PH 401,1) Mathematical Methods (PH 461, 3) Electives, 6
Quantum Mechanics (PH 451, 3) Physical Optics (PH 481, 4) Thermal and Statis Phys (PH 441, 3) Elective, 6
PH elective, 3 Thesis (Ph 403, 2) Inertial Frames (PH 429, 2) Electives, 7 Table 1: Present Curriculum for B.S. in Physics with 180 total credits.
In Table 1 we give the present curriculum for the B.S. degree in Physics requiring 180 credits. In Table 2 we give the present curriculum for the B.S. degree in Engineering Physics requiring 192 credits. The two-credit courses in Table 1 are parts of the Paradigms project in the Physics Department [Paradigms]. That project has reorganized the mid-level undergraduate courses into smaller blocks, with a block covering materials normally found in a number of classes, but with related ideas. We also see italicized in Table 1 the two computational science courses offered by the Physics Department (PH 466, a second term of computational physics, is also offered).
Fall Winter Spring Fresh (48)
Diffrntl Calculus (MTH 251, 4) Writing I, 3 Persp, 3 Gen Chemistr (CH 201, 3) Engr Orientn (Engr 111, 5)
Integral Calculus
(MTH 252, 4) Health (HHP 231, 3) Gen Chemistry (CH 202, 3) Intro Scientific Computing (Ph/MTH/CS 265, 3) Persp, 3
Vector Calculus I (MTH 254, 4) Gen Phy, Rec (PH 211,221; 4,1) Commun (Comm 111/114, 3) Biology, 4 Soph (48)
Vector Calculus II (MTH 255, 4) Gen Phys + Calc (PH 212, 4) Writing, 3 Engr 201, 3
Linear Algebra\ (MTH 341, 4) Gen Phys + Calc (PH 213, 4) Persp, 3 Engr 202/211, 3 Intro Stat (St 314, 3)
App Diffrntl Eqnts (MTH 256, 4) Intro Modern Phys (PH 314, 4) Engr 203/212/213, 3 Engr Elective, 5 Jr (48)
Oscillations (PH 421, 2) Static Vector Fields (PH 422, 2) Engr Elective, 9 Perspective, 3
Waves in 1D (PH 424, 2) Quantum Measurements (Ph 425, 2) Central Forces
(PH 426, 2)
Engr Elective, 7
Energy and Entropy ( PH 423, 2)
Engr 390, 3 Engr Elective, 7 Periodic/Rigid Systems (PH 427/428, 2) Synth, 3 Hum/SS Elective, 3
Persp, 3 Sr (48)
Phys Optics (PH 481, 4) Design Project, 2 Engr Elect, 4 Mathematical Methods (PH 461, 3) Electives, 3
Electromagnetism (PH 431, 3) PH Elective, 3 Design Project, 2 Engr 311, 3 Elective, 5
PH elective, 2 Design Project, 1 Synth, 3 Electives, 10 Table 2: Present Curriculum for B.S. in Engineering Physics with 192 total credits.
The B.A. variation of the Physics degree requires the student to take 18 of the 21 listed upper-division Physics courses (excluding MTH 341), four courses from the group: CS 391, CS 395, PH 423, PH 431, PH 461, plus 9 credits of approved electives in the College of Liberal Arts. (The number of Liberal Arts electives that can be required is decreased somewhat by the student having to use, what would otherwise be, electives to take computing courses.) In addition, the student must complete or demonstrate proficiency in the second year of a foreign language.
In Table 3 we give a sample schedule of the proposed curriculum for the B.S. in CP degree, with the computation courses shown in bold. Table 3 is just one possible arrangement of the required courses; others also exist, as well as ones in which substitutions are made depending upon the student's interests and the advisor's consent. The proposed program has 21 credit hours of electives compared to the Physics B.S. degree program that has 25 hours. Essentially, we are picking some of the ``electives'' a student might choose to specialize in computational science. However, we believe that flexibility is important for an interdisciplinary program, and we plan to make subsitutions for individual cases.
Fall Winter Spring Fresh (46)
Diffrntl Calculus (MTH 251, 4) Fitness/Writing I, 3 Gen Chemistry (CH 201, 3) CP/CS Seminar (PH 407, 1) Perspective 3
Intro Scientific Computing
(Ph/MTH/CS 265, 3) [or Fall term] Gen Chemistry (CH 202, 3) Integral Calculus ( MTH 252, 4) Perspective, 6 [or Fitness/Writing I, 3]
Intro Computer Sci I (CS 161, 4) Vector Calculus I (MTH 254, 4) Gen Phys, Rec (PH 211,221; 4,1) Fitness/Writing I, 3 [or Perspective, 3] Soph (45)
Intro Computer Sci II (CS 162, 4) Writing II, 3 Vector Calculus II (MTH 255, 4) Gen Phys, Rec (PH 212,222; 4,1)
Discrete Math (MTH 231/235, 3) Infinite Series and Seqncs (MTH 253, 4) Gen Phys, Rec (PH 213,223; 4,1) Perspective, 3
Scientific Comptng II (PH 365, 3) Linear Algebra (MTH 341, 3) App Diffrntl Eqs (MTH 256, 4 Intro Modern Phys (PH 314, 4) Jr (44)
CP Simulations I (PH 465, 3) CP Seminar \(PH 407, 1) Intro Probability (MTH 361, 3) Oscillations (PH 421, 2) Static Vector Fields (PH 422, 2) Writing III/Speech, 3
CP Simulations II (PH 466, 3) Data Structure (CS 261, 4) Waves in 1D
(PH 424, 2) Quantum Measurement (PH 425, 2) Central Forces (PH 426, 2) Elective/Perspsective, 3
Periodic Systems (PH 427, 2) Class/Quant Mechan (PH 435/451, 3)
Energy and Entropy (PH 423, 2) Biology, 4 Perspective/Elective, 3 Sr (45)
Num. Lin Alg. (MTH 451, 3) Electromagnetism (PH 431, 3) Mathematical Methods (PH 461, 3) Elective, 6
Adv CP Lab (PH 417,517; 3) Social & Ethical CS (Synthesis, CS 391, 3) Elective, 6 Synthesis, 3
Thesis [CP Lab+WIC] (PH 401,4) Interact Multi Media} (CS 395, 4) CP Seminar (PH 407, 1) Electives, 6 Table 3: Sample schedule showing proposed curriculum for B.S. in Computational Physics with 180 total credits. Computer-intensive courses shown in bold. Courses suggested for electives or approved substitution: PH 415, Computer Interfacing; PH 435, Classical Mechanics; MTH 452, Numerical Solution of Ordinary Diffrntl Equations; MTH 453, Numerical Solution of Partial Diffrntl Equations; CS 311, Operating Systems; CS 361, Fundamentals of Software Engineering; PH 428, Rigid Bodies; Ph 441, Physical Optics; PH 481, Thermal and Statistical Phys; PH 621, Classical Dynamics.
Implementing this curriculum requires rewriting and extending our existing computational courses so that they form stepping stones from the freshman to senior years. In addition, we must create an entirely new Advanced Computational Laboratory course. The keystones of the proposed curriculum are:
1 Unix, Windows, Maple, Numbers 6 Conditional Statements, Function Definitions 2 Basic Maple, Functions 7 Loops, Numerical Integration 3 Floating Points, Symbolic Computing 8 Complex Arithmetic, Structures
4 Visualization, Calculus, Equation Solving 9 Objects, Matrix Computing Arrays 5 Classes and Methods 10 General I/O, Applets Table 4: Contents of PH/MTH/CS 265, Scientific Computing I
Physics/Mathematics/Computer Science 265, Scientific Computing (Table 4) An introductory course designed to provide the basic computational tools and techniques needed by lower division students for study in science and engineering. The course is based on a project approach using the problem solving environment Maple and the compiled language Java (footnotes: Maple and its commercial competitor Mathematica are called ``Problem Solving Environments''. They are large computer programs that provide an unusually complete and user-friendly computing environment. Maple has a variety of graphical interfaces, the ability to solve both numerical and algebraic (symbolic) problems, excellent visualization, and good scientific text
abilities. Matlab is also classified as a problem solving environment, yet its strength is in numerical work, and especially numerical linear algebra and advanced visualization as used in engineering and computational science. Sun Microsystems, its inventor, describes Java as
a ``simple, object-oriented, distributed, interpreted, robust, secure, architecture neutral, portable, high-performance, multithreaded, and dynamic language".) Unix operating system. (Learning Unix is assisted by the web-based Interactive Unix Tutorial we have developed and distributed nationally [Nacphy].) Although this course has worked well in the three years since its introduction, we are writing new materials for it that will be more succinct, integrated, focused, and computer-mediated than the text [Zachary] formerly used.While the scientific programming of applications in C and Java is similar, our recent switch to Java in place of C provides an object-oriented view towards programming (inclusion of methods with variables), demonstrates the developing potential of platform- and operating-system independent programming, and emphasizes that the web is an integral part of future scientific computing. Furthermore, the use of Java for scientific programming has a large number of backers within the Computational Science community, as witnessed by the growing number of sessions at the SuperComputing conferences and forums and working groups on scientific Java [JNL]. Although the choice of a computer language is often contentious, we have found Java's handling of precision, errors, variable types, and pointers to be superior to C for scientific computing. We also find Java's platform and system independence attractive since this may modify the too rapid (2-3 year) obsolescence of educational software, and encourages distributed computing over the web.
Undeniably, some of the excitement for students learning to program in Java arises from its ability to create applets, that is, small computer simulations that are embedded into web documents and can thereby run on any computer running a browser. Approximately a week is spent on that. The Physics Department has developed a collection of CP applets [Nacphy], and we are implementing them as examples and ``experimental equipment'' for our courses. We will also benefit from Java materials collected by the Education, Outreach and Training thrust area of the National Partnership for Advanced Computational Infrastructure [EdCenter,NPACI].
Week
Topic
1
Software Basics
2
Errors and Uncertainties in Computations
3
Integration and Differentiation
4
Data Fitting
5
Random Numbers
6
Differential Equations
7
Hardware Basics: Memory and CPU
8
Matrix Computing
9
Profiling and Tuning
10
Parallel Computing
Table 5: Contents of PH 365, Scientific Computing II
Physics 365, Scientific Computing II (Table 5) An intermediate level course that provides the basic mathematical, numerical, and conceptual elements that are needed for utilizing computers as virtual scientific laboratories using Java, C, and Fortran. The basics of computer hardware, such as memory and CPU architecture, and shell programming with the Unix operating system are presented. Also studied are the basics of scientific computing: algorithms, precision, efficiency, verification, numerical analysis and associated approximation and round-off errors, algorithm scaling, code profiling, and tuning. Examples are taken from elementary physical systems that make the concepts clear, as well as being easy to compute. The limits of model and algorithm validity is demonstrated by investigating the physics simulation examples in regions for which there is manifest numerical failure.
Much of the theory to be taught in PH 365 is presently in our senior-level course Computational Physics Course PH 465. For PH 365 we propose to reformulate the examples so that they require only elementary physics, to add more discussion materials to help in concept formation, to make the computer simulations shorter and less complex, and decrease some of the coverage. The goal is to make the materials more accessible to students completing our PH/MTH/CS 265 course, as well as providing a course to the general university community, where no such course currently exists.
Physics 407/507 Computational Physics Seminar Reports of modern happenings, campus research results, and journal articles are presented and discussed. Undergraduates will hear about and learn to think about research topics while advanced (507) students will present results of their projects and research.
Dilos Monte-Carlo magnetic ordering in dilute semiconductors DFT Density functional theory of periodic systems and super lattices Tell 3-D spectrum analysis of archaeological tell sites DFT-II Molecular dynamics Gamow Bound states, resonances, and poles for exotic atoms and nuclei HF Hartree-Foch calculations of atoms and molecules LPOTT Meson scattering from spin 1/2 nuclei LPOTII Distributed memory code for polarized proton-nucleus scattering LPOTp Nucleon-nucleus scattering in momentum space MD Molecular dynamics simulations of SiO2 MEG Principal component analysis of brain waves Monte Monte-Carlo simulations of magnetic systems and thin films nScatt Monte-Carlo simulations of neutron diffraction spectra PiN The color dielectric quark model Qflux Model quantum chromodynamics calculations of flux tubes Shake Earthquake analysis Transport Transport simulations of nuclear storage
Table 6: Contents of PH 417/517, Advanced Computational Laboratory
Physics 417/517 Advanced Computational Laboratory (Table 6) We are developing a completely new advanced computational laboratory in which senior CP students and graduate students will experiment with computer simulations taken from previous M.S. and Ph.D. research projects, as well as from research projects at national laboratories. We will write and publish the web-enhanced and computer mediated laboratory manual for this course. The research descriptions and computer simulations will be modified in order to provide a research experience accessible to undergraduate students in a short time (which is in contrast to the people-years required to develop the research codes originally).
To learn that codes are pieces of scientific literature designed to be read and understood by more than just their authors, the students will run, profile (determine time spent in different sections of the code), modify, parallelize (convert to run on multiple processors), and extend these working codes. The students will run some simulations without knowing what results to expect. This will teach that the codes also function as virtual laboratories built to explore nature. Some planned experiments are indicated in Table 6.
Since the projects will be based on existing research codes, many of the programs will have been written in some version of Fortran (one of the original high-level scientific computer languages). This will be a valuable experience for our students since Fortran is otherwise not taught at OSU, even though the majority of high performance computing applications are presently written in some version of it. In fact, we have heard from some of our industrial colleagues that lack of knowledge of Fortran and lack of experience with running large codes written by others, are some of the weakness they find in present graduates. (A complete course in Fortran does not seem necessary since once students are familiar with one programming language, it is easier to learn others through direct experience.)
1 Quantum Eigenvalues, Zero-Finding 9 Functional Integration on Quantum Paths 2 Anharmonic Oscillations 10 Fractals 3 Fourier Analysis of Nonlinear Oscillations 11 Electrostatic Potentials 4 Unusual Dynamics of Nonlinear Systems 12 Heat Flow 5 Differential Chaos in Phase Space 13 Waves on a String 6 Bound States in Momentum Space 14 Solitons, the KdeV Equation 7 Quantum Scattering and Integral Equations 15 Sine-Gordon Solitons 8 Thermodynamics: The Ising Model 16 Confined Electronic Wave Packets Table 7: Contents of PH 465, 466, Computational Physics Simulations
Physics 465, 466 Computational Physics Simulations (Table 7) The techniques covered in Scientific Computing, PH 265 and 365, are applied and extended to physical problems best attacked with a powerful computer and a compiled language. The problems are taken from realistic systems, with emphasis on subjects not covered in a standard physics curriculum. The students work individually or in teams on projects requiring active learning and analysis.
The course is designed for the student to discuss each project with an instructor and then write it up as an ``executive summary'' containing: Problem, Equations, Algorithm, Code listing, Visualization, Discussion, and Critique. The emphasis is professional, to make a report of the type presented to a boss or manager in a workplace. The goal for the students is to explain just enough to get across that they know what they are talking about, and be certain to convey what they did and their evaluation of the project. As part of the training, the reports are written on the web.
In summary, the proposed program aims to give students a broad, professional, and open-minded view towards programming languages and computing environments. Students will get familiar with Maple and Java in PH/MTH/CS 265 and PH 365; they will use Maple in their elementary Mathematics courses and the Physics paradigms; they will use C, Java or Fortran in CP Simulations PH 465, 466; they will learn MatLab in MTH 451, Numerical Linear Algebra class; and they will experience large scientific applications written in Fortran and C in the Advanced Physics Laboratory. While a problem solving environment such as Maple, Mathematica or Matlab probably provides the easiest way to attack many of the everyday problems a non-computational scientist is likely to encounter [PSE], as a learning experience it is important for CP students to do projects with a compiled language. In this way the students ``get their hands dirty'' at least once in their lives and see what is inside computational ``black boxes''. In addition, research-level problems, high performance computing, and the use of the advanced libraries subroutines developed at national laboratories [Netlib] need the flexibility and speed of compiled programming languages.
b. Provide a discussion of any nontraditional learning modes to be utilized in the new courses, including, but not limited to: (1) the role of technology, and (2) the use of career development activities as practicals or internships.
Key components of our program are having students get actively engaged with projects, as if each were an original scientific investigation, and having projects in a large number of areas. In this way students experience the excitement of individual research, get familiar with a large number of approaches, acquire confidence in making a complex system work for them, and continually build upon their accomplishments. We have found this project approach to be flexible and to encourage students to take pride in their work and their creativity. It also works well for independent study or distant learning. Because the research laboratory for computational physics is a virtual world created by the computer, it is easier and quicker to have undergraduates work in this lab than in a ``wet'' one.
Our curriculum will be rich with web materials that are used and, at times, developed by the students. This reflects developments in our department and research groups over the last six years in web-enhanced education [Nacphy, CIP], and our view that the web and computer-mediated instruction will play an increasing role in future scientific computing and education. Educational materials on the web are available regardless of geographical location and time of day (universality), can be interacted with and thus promote active, hands-on learning and engagement [Sokoloff], hold the promise of running on a student's computer regardless of its specifics (portability, the promise of Java), should be more accessible to students with disabilities than printed materials, and can be used by individuals as well as in classroom settings (scalability). Further, the web is an ideal environment for computational science: projects are always in a centralized place for students and faculty to observe, codes are there to run or modify, and visualizations can be striking in 3-D, color, sound, and animation.
As a valuable part of our students' education, during the summers we plan to have our B.S./B.A. in CP majors involved with computational research programs within the university and at laboratory and industrial sites. Some of these programs are part of the NSF's Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at OSU (in which Jansen and Landau have worked for the last four years.) Others may be with the Science Access Project (described below), and some may be helping to develop the materials for the Advanced Computational Laboratory. In addition, some will be collaborations supported by the Education, Outreach, and Training thrust area of the National Partnership for Computational Infrastructure [EOT]. This will also permit us to send some of our students to the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at the University of California, San Diego. Finally, the Sun Microsystems group in Oregon [Sun], which specializes in large scientific applications, have also shown interest in our proposed program and in having some of our students as interns.
Our working relation with the national partnership NPACI centered at SDSC is a valuable supplement to our program. They have world-leading supercomputing facilities, training classes, summer workshops, internship programs and collaborations with other NPACI projects.
Our planned mix of the web, computer-mediated learning, projects, and lectures for the computational courses is similar to the new pedagogical strategy known as Just-in-Time Teaching [JiTT], and we propose to adapt it to our program. In JiTT, the web is used to establish interactivity with the students, having them run through preparatory assignments, web tutorials, or simple computer simulations shortly before lecture. With that feedback in hand, the instructors adjust the materials to cover in class so as to best engage the students. Taken together, our approach combines the use of technology and hypermedia to assist learning abstract concepts [Dede], and the pedagogical strategy known ``active learning'' or ``interactive engagement'' [IE].
c. What specific learning outcomes will be achieved by students who complete this course of study?
Whereas a decade ago computational science educators were content for undergraduates to view scientific computation as ``black boxes'' and to wait for graduate school to teach what is inside the boxes [LSU], our increasing reliance on computers makes this less true today, and much less true in the future. To do good science and engineering with computers, the student should understand a) how the computer works, b) the relevant science and mathematics, and c) how algorithms and computer simulations are used to connect a) and b). More specifically, students in the B.S./B.A in CP program will: 1) acquire a strong physics background that will provide an understanding of the principles in many areas of science and engineering, 2) learn the necessary applied mathematics, 3) learn about computer hardware, 4) learn to use scientific problem solving environments as well as programming languages, 5) become familiar with a variety of visualization and sonification techniques, 6) learn the use of networked computer systems, shared resources, and a variety of operating systems, and 7) gain experience with parallel supercomputers.
4. Recruitment and Admission Requirements
a. Is the proposed program intended primarily to provide another program option to students who are already being attracted to the institution, or is it anticipated that the proposed program will draw students who would not otherwise come to the institution?
The national rarity of bachelor degree programs in any computational science should draw new students to our program, especially since we intend to advertise it extensively. The program will also provide a new avenue for students unwilling or unable to pursue a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, yet are still interested in careers including scientific computation. The awarding of a specific B.S./B.A in CP degree will provide recognition by professional schools and employers of the students' extraordinary achievement. Other science majors at OSU may also participate in the new program for a dual degree.
b. Are any requirements for admission to the program being proposed that are in addition to admission to the institution? If so, what are they?
None
c. Will any enrollment limitation be imposed? If so, please indicate the specific limitation and its rationale. How will students be selected if there are enrollment limitations?
At present we are limited by our computational laboratory facilities not being able to handle more than 15 students at one time. However, we are in the process of expanding and strengthening our facilities which will permit us to handle the anticipated 25-50 students. Based on the number of Physics and Engineering Physics graduates, we would expect 10-20 graduates per year, a number that is small enough to permit effective faculty-student and student-student interactions.
5. Accreditation of the Program
a. If applicable, identify any Accrediting body or professional society which has established standards in the area in which the proposed program lies.
Computation physics and computational sciences are new and developing fields. Professor Landau works with national groups and sits on the boards that are working now to establish the standards. These include the Education, Outreach, and Training thrust area [EOT] of the National Partnership for Advanced Computational Infrastructure [NPACI], the Division of Computational Physics of the American Physical Society, and the Education sessions of the IEEE's SuperComputing XY conferences. In fact, the Computational Physics textbook that Landau and Jansen have coauthored, was written in part to help set national and international standards for undergraduate Computational Physics education. In recognition of these efforts, the NSF and NPACI are already providing funding for the development of this program as a national model, and they will assist with its direction, evaluation, and assessment.
We have already started to set up an Advisory Board for our program with members who are pioneers in Computational Science education or are scientists at related corporations. Anticipated membership include: 1) Kim Baldridge, San Diego Supercomputer Center, 2) Roscoe Giles, Boston University, 3) Chris Hasser, Immersion Corporation, 4) Henry Gardner, Australian National University, 5) Jim Coronis, Krell Institute, 6) Kris Stewart, San Diego State University, 7) Paul Kinney, Sun Microsystems, Beaverton, 8) Tad Raynales, Global Systems, and 9) Robby Robson, Saba Corporation.
b. If applicable, does the proposed program meet professional accreditation standards? If it does not, in what particular area(s) does it appear to be deficient? What steps would be required to qualify the program for accreditation? By what date is it anticipated that the program will be fully accredited?
No standards as yet exist.
c. If the proposed program is a graduate program in which the institution offers an undergraduate program, is the undergraduate program accredited? If not, what would be required to qualify it for accreditation? If accreditation is a goal, what steps are being taken to achieve accreditation?
N/A
a. What evidence does the institution have of need for the program? Please be explicit. (Needs assessment information may be presented in the form of survey data; summaries of focus groups or interviews; documented requests for the program from students, faculty, external constituents, etc.)
According to the American Electronics Association, although Oregon's high-tech work force grew nearly 40% between 1990 and 1996, technical degrees awarded in the state declined 25% during the same period. While the state is focusing on engineering and computer science education to address this problem, programs such as the one proposed here could be part of the solution.
In general, the needs of society are served when computational sciences capitalize on the dramatic increase in the power and pervasiveness of computers to advance science, technology, and education. A need for a program such as ours arises from the documented observations that many of the science and engineering students now finding jobs do not have the requisite background in computation, and, conversely, that many of the computer science students now finding jobs in computer-related fields do not have the background in mathematics and science needed for technical fields. Accordingly, we would like to present the job market and graduate schools with undergraduate students possessing competent education and training in physics, applied mathematics, computing, and complex problem-solving. Since the operation of our program also nurtures the communication and team-work skills valued by present employers [AIP], our students should be valued new hires. We suspect that other physics departments might also follow our model as a good way to revitalize their physics offerings, and that the nation will be served well with these types of graduates.
The Sun Microsystems group in Oregon [Sun] specialize in large scientific applications and have told us that they have a need for graduates from a program such as ours (see attached letters of support). Likewise we have letters from the San Diego Supercomputer Center indicating their support of the usefulness of this program. And possibly the ultimate verification of the need for a program such as ours is the monetary support coming from the NPACI and the National Science Foundation.
We have been teaching two quarters of Computational Physics for the last decade. It usually has 6-15 students in it. A good number of these students ask about further courses in this area and about graduate degree programs in related fields. We suspect that these same students would be interested in this full program if it were available. In any case, we would advertise our program throughout the university, state and nation in order to attract new and high-quality students.
The President's Information Technology Advisory Committee [PITAC] has recently concluded that there is a severe shortage of Information Technology (IT) workers, even though Computer Science department throughout the country are at full capacity. The same observation has been made by the US Department of Commerce and by InfoWeek. PITAC recommends that disciplines other than CS also supply the workers:
Finding: The supply of information technology workers does not meet the current demand. By virtual unanimity, chief executive officers of a cross-section of America's leading corporations have identified the need to strengthen the technological workforce as the single greatest challenge to U.S. competitiveness over the next decade. It is crucial that we produce a continuous supply of well-trained, high-quality professionals in engineering and computer and information science, not merely skilled users, but researchers, creators, and designers of advanced technology. In this fast-moving field, those people must continue to update their knowledge and skills.
Today we fall far short of meeting these needs, and projections for the future are not encouraging. While the information technology sector and demand for skilled personnel are growing rapidly, the pipeline for computer engineering and computer science graduates is not filling fast enough. Beginning with skills that require a B.S./B.A.-level of training, qualified information technology workers are in extremely scarce supply.
There is evidence that large pools of potential information technology personnel in the U.S. workforce exist and employers are recruiting new workers from outside information technology fields. However, there is also the problem of what economists call ``appropriability'', a type of "market failure." Many information technology employers who are finding hiring more difficult are unable to provide the required education or training due to resource limitations. ...
Finding: Both K-12 and post-secondary education are inadequate to meet the challenges of the information age. If our citizens are to reap the benefits of the information technology revolution, personally and professionally, and if the Nation is to have the information technology-literate, well-educated, and highly skilled workforce it needs, every student must learn some aspects of information technology and many must become highly educated experts. That is not happening everywhere now. ..., the educational pipeline is not preparing enough people for the information technology workforce.
Overarching Recommendation: Expand Federal initiatives and government-university-industry partnerships to increase information technology literacy, education, and access.
b. Identify statewide and institutional-service-area employment needs the proposed program would assist in filling. Is there evidence of regional or national need for additional qualified individuals such as the proposed program would produce? If yes, please specify.
To repeat, a need for a program such as ours arises from the widespread observation that many of the undergraduate Computer Science students now finding jobs in computer-related fields do not have the background in mathematics and science needed for technical fields, and, likewise, that many of the undergraduate science and engineering students do not have the requisite background in computation [UCES].
In recognition of the need for additional computational scientists, the federal funding agencies and the Departments of Energy and Defense have set up education programs at national laboratories and Supercomputer Centers, and have encouraged Universities through programs such as the Computational Science Graduate Fellowships [DOE, NSF]. A bachelor's degree in any computation science is rather rare in the entire country, with, to the best of our knowledge, there being only one such bachelor's degree in CP [ISU], and several physics degrees with minors or specialties in CP [SU, RPI].
While we have agreements with the Computer Science and Mathematics Departments about the contents and needs for such interdisciplinary programs, the perennial financial difficulties faced by OSU [O] leads to such heavy teaching loads that the new classes needed for such a program become impractical. We propose here to overcome that difficulty by teaching many of the courses within the Physics Department, which places the burden on just us. By streamlining the courses relative to those needed by Math and CS majors, we can also reduce the total number that might otherwise be needed.
c. What are the numbers and characteristics of students to be served? What is the estimated number of graduates of the proposed program over the next five years? On what information are these projections based?
We estimate that at first there might 5-10 students per year enrolled in the major, with an anticipation of up to 20 students per year. These figures are based on last year's 46 Physics, 40 Engineering Physics (14 professional and 26 pre-professional) and 127 Computer Science majors [Enroll], and the number of students taking out existing Computational Physics courses. Considering the serious commitment required for interdisciplinary studies, these students would have be dedicated.
d. Are there any other compelling reasons for offering the program?
Students from the B.S./B.A. in CP program will have a competitive edge when applying to graduate programs containing a computational science focus, as exists in many of the most elite schools in the country. The program would also open up the possibility of obtaining national scholarships and internships and summer positions at national laboratories. In addition, a rare and forward-looking program such as envisioned in this proposal will help OSU in their quest to be recognized as a Tier I university.
e. Identify any special interest in the program on the part of local or state groups (e.g., business, industry, agriculture, professional groups).
The shortage of students with both computing and scientific/mathematical skills is currently hindering industries in Oregon. For properly trained undergraduates, there are excellent career opportunities with computer hardware and software vendors, with automotive companies, in the energy and aerospace sectors, in the banking industry, with chemical and pharmaceutical companies, in government laboratories, and the like. Our graduates with advanced degrees who have done theses or projects in Computational Physics and who find employment in industry tell us regularly of the values of their superior mathematics and physics knowledge (in comparison to their coworkers).
f. Discuss considerations given to making the complete program available for part-time, evening, weekend, and/or placebound students.
We envision the computational parts of our program developed into Web courses and eventually incorporated into OSU Statewide and the Alumni College [OSU-Statewide]. While we do not view the web as a good medium for teaching all of physics or for all students, it is excellent for a dedicated student sitting at a computer in a trial-and-error mode in order to learn scientific computing [Cornell]. While the proposed program will have professors lecture on the curriculum materials and work directly with students in computer laboratories, it will also integrate web and computer technologies into the learning environment. Accordingly, we could convert our computational courses into forms that could be used over the web. For example, students presently holding an OSU bachelor's degree in Physics or Engineering Physics could pursue a second degree in Computational Physics after taking web versions of the computational classes.
a. How will the institution determine the extent to which the academic program meets the objectives (section 2a) previously outlined? (Identify specific post-approval monitoring procedures and outcome indicators to be used.)
b. How will the collected information be used to improve teaching and programs to enhance student learning?
a. What methods will be used to assess student learning? How will student learning assessment be embedded in the curriculum?
[The answers to these three questions are combined into one response.]
The initial and periodic evaluation of our materials will be made by the students in the classes we teach. This will be done regularly through discussions conducted in the Computational Physics Seminar, with web surveys, as well as with the mandatory class evaluation forms. An evaluation of the technical content of our program will be requested from our Advisory Board (see earlier).
Secondary evaluation will be made by Professor Bradley Matson at Western Oregon University, who has agreed to test the materials we develop in the WOU Physics Department as well. We also plan to cooperate in having interested WOU students enroll in our program.
With independent funding provided by the National Science Foundation, third-party formative and summative evaluation will be provided by the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Learning through Evaluation, Adaptation and Dissemination Center [LEAD], a team that has developed a national reputation for its evaluations of educational reforms that utilize high performance computer technologies. As the official evaluator for NPACI's Education, Outreach, and Training programs [EOT], this team has experience in assessing, analyzing, and disseminating the impact of computer-assisted learning on a diverse mix of student populations. This same team also has extensive experience evaluating programs designed to recruit and retain women and under represented minorities into the fields of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology.
The purpose of LEAD's evaluation will be twofold: (1) to assess whether the degree program in Computational Physics is filling an unmet need and producing graduates who are better equipped for the evolving technology-driven laboratories and workforce; and (2) to determine the program's strengths and weaknesses so that it may be improved and successful Computational Physics degree programs can be developed at other universities as well. Data regarding the impact of the new degree program on the students who enroll in it and on the Physics Department as a whole will be collected through: interviews with OSU Physics professors and college administrators, surveys with Physics Department alumni from both before and after the Computational Physics degree program was available, surveys with all students enrolled in the Computational Physics courses, a series of in-depth interviews and surveys with Physics majors enrolled in the computational Physics degree program and those enrolled in the standard physics degree program, and a comparative analysis of course and student records for computational and standard physics majors.
It is anticipated that the most informative data on the benefits and drawbacks of the program will be generated through a multi-factored comparison between students in the new degree program and those who remain in the standard Physics program. The LEAD evaluator will use quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze the similarities and differences between these two groups of students in terms of: (1) demographics, (2) their incoming test scores and academic preparation, (3) their career interests, (4) their course enrollment trajectory and course performance, (5) their interest and engagement in their course work, (6) their involvement in research, (7) their career prospects, and, eventually, (8) their placement in jobs or enrollment in graduate programs related to their major. Data collected on this program will be shared with program administrators and Physics Department faculty to inform them of the impact of the new program along with suggestive ways for improving it. This information will then be disseminated to college administrators and physics faculty nationwide to assist them in making decisions about such programs at their own universities.
Another level of evaluation and editing will be provided by the commercial publishers who will help us disseminate our work, and are interested in publishing the materials that set the standards for a field. We are presently negotiating with a number of them regarding questions of level, content, and the publication of web and electronic formats.
Evaluation of the Spanish language versions of our materials will be made by specialists in scientific Spanish at the University of Medellin [Paez] and by members of the National Society of Hispanic Physicists [NSHP].
b. What specific methods or approaches will be used to assess graduate outcomes?
This is part of the Assessment discussion presented above.
c. Is a licensure examination associated with this field of study? No
a. List all other closely related OUS programs. b. In what way, if any, will resources of other institutions (another OUS institution or institutions, community college, and/or private college/university) be shared in the proposed programs? How will the program be complementary to, or cooperate with, an existing program or programs?
Computational Physics is presently an Option of the B.A./B.S. Physics degrees and an area of concentration of the M.A., M.S., and Ph.D. levels. It might appear at first that the existing Option might erase the need for the proposed program. However, B.S./B.A. in CP degree program is a much more intensive program; it is essentially a dual-degree program with students having to take special courses for all their years at OSU. In structure the B.S./B.A. in CP is similar to the existing B.S. in Engineering Physics degree program, although we are restricted to the minimum number of credits required of science, and not engineering, students.
In practice, the Option approach has not worked well for CP. In part, this is because students usually do not examine options until their junior year, and this does not leave time to take the required extra courses and their prerequisites. Indeed, the B.S. in CP program shown in Table 3 is seen to have the mandatory CS and Math prerequisite classes starting in the Freshman year. Another reason for the lack of attractiveness of the CP option is that, in contrast to some of the other options, this one does not release students from taking regularly-required courses (some of which are not popular with the students), but instead requires them to take additional challenging courses without the recognition in their degree of their superior achievement.
The OSU Computer Science Department offers an Applied Computer Science Option in which an applications could be in Physics. Our B.S./B.A in CP program would be stronger in Physics and emphasizes practical scientific computing and problem solving over theoretical Computer Science.
There is a certain attraction in having an interdisciplinary program, such as the one proposed here, be housed in a number of departments. In fact, in the past, we have had meetings and reached agreements with the Computer Science and Mathematics Departments about the contents and needs for interdisciplinary computational science programs. However, the perennial financial difficulties faced by OSU [O] leads to such heavy teaching loads that the new classes needed for such a multi-department program become impractical. We propose to overcome that difficulty by teaching many of the courses within the Physics Department and by using already-existing courses from several departments. Letters of supports from the OSU Mathematics and Computer Science Departments are included.
Professor Bradley Matson at Western Oregon University will be assisting in the development and assessment of some of our materials. It is quite likely that as a result of this, interested WOU students may enroll in our program, either at OSU or at WOU. This will also be valuable in helping us determine the usefulness of developed materials to another group of students.
The Northwest Alliance for Computational Science and Engineering (NACSE) is a coalition of Pacific Northwest institutions and individuals formed as part of the National Science Foundation's Meta-Center Regional Alliances program (Landau is Co-Principal Investigator). The goal of NACSE is to utilize web technology to make it easier for scientists and engineers to use high-performance computing (HPC) resources, but they do not teach courses or develop curricula.
The University of Oregon's Computational Science Institute [UofO], which is also a member of NACSE, was established in September 1995 as an association of researchers from nine different departments to support computational science efforts at the University of Oregon. The Institute supports projects with parallel supercomputers that are connected via the NERO network to researchers around the state and to the national supercomputing centers. The institute does not teach courses.
There are a number of schools that have some type of undergraduate programs in CP. For the last two years, Illinois State University [ISU] have been offering a Bachelor of Science Degree in CP. Our program differs by incorporating Java programming and web applications throughout, and by a more formalized and different emphasis on the inclusion of research results and techniques into the curriculum. We have already initiated contact to permit sharing of our experiences.
Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland offers a degree in Computational Physics and Computational Chemistry [Dublin]. In fact, they have adopted our Computational Physics text as the centerpiece of their curriculum. The importance of the computing skills being taught in their courses has been recognized by the Irish Government and the program has won funding from the Higher Education Authority Skills Initiative.
Clark College [Gould] offers a Concentration in Computational Science. This requires a Computer Simulation Laboratory, four courses related to computation, and a research project. They too have moved to teaching Java to their introductory students.
Syracuse University offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics with a minor in Computational Science from the College of Engineering [SU]. This program appears to contain fewer physics courses, but more computing courses. Interestingly, their program also emphasizes a strong web component, which is not surprising in that the program's faculty has also developed web tutorials.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is well known for their innovative educational reforms linking mathematics, sciences, and engineering, and for incorporating computers into education. The Physics Department offers an Applied Physics Bachelor of Science degree, with a concentration in CP. All but one of their computation courses are taught by outside departments, with a senior project that may be computational in nature.
c. Is there any projected impact on other institutions in terms of student enrollment and/or faculty workload?
By increasing students' interests and abilities in Computational Science, our program will assist graduate programs throughout the state which demand computation skills of their students.
a. List faculty members who would be involved in offering the proposed program, with pertinent information concerning their special qualifications for service in this area. Attach an up-to-date resume for each individual.
During the last 12 years, Landau has led a number of activities in the Physics Department of OSU focusing on university-level education in Computational Science, and particularly Computational Physics. His contributions to Computational Science education has taken the form of a two-term undergraduate course (developed with H. Jansen and awarded a Undergraduate Computational Engineering and Science award by the DOE), the textbooks Computational Physics, Problem Solving with Computers (on which Paez and Jansen collaborated) [CPbook], A Scientist's Guide to Workstations and Supercomputers, and an extensive collection of web-based educational materials which enhance books and courses. From 1995-1998, the development of the web tutorials has been supported by the Northwest Alliance for Computational Science and Engineering [NACSE], in which Landau is a Co-Principal Investigator. The goal of NACSE is to improve the incorporation of high performance computing into the work of practicing scientists and engineers.
Starting with his graduate work, Landau has been a computational physicist conducting basic research in the theory of elementary particles, nuclei, and exotic atoms (over 70 publications). He is still active in these areas and in directing graduate students. Landau has also authored a text book (now in its second edition) in advanced quantum mechanics based partially on his research developments in computational quantum mechanics. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), a member of the executive committee of APS Division of Computational Physics, a member of the OSU Faculty Senate Executive Committee, and a participant in the Education, Outreach and Training thrust area of the National Partnership for Advanced Computational Infrastructure [NPACI]. An independent proposal to the Digital Library Initiative [DLI] outlines a collaboration of Landau with the Bothun and Gardner groups aimed at increasing the accessibility and conceptual understanding of physics through multimodal interactive digital technologies. This is an extension of Landau's interest and pioneering work in electronic publishing.
Jansen was a co-developer and first teacher of the Computational Physics course at OSU. He still teaches it at times. Originally the computational power available to us was very weak, and he upgraded the facility significantly by obtaining an NSF grant permitting the conversion from text-only to graphical terminals (Xwindows), and accordingly introduced scientific visualization to the class. After Jansen's initial work, Landau kept developing the course and laboratory, with the contributions from Jansen, Paez, Kowallik and Landau forming the published text.
During 98-99 academic year, Jansen has assumed the position of Physics Department Chair. Having a strong supporter of computational physics in the chair position is essential to bring success to our new curriculum.
Jansen's research area is computational solid state physics, with a current focus on the magnetic anisotropy and phase stability of zirconia. In the last eight years he has directed 4 Ph.D.- and 3 M.S.- student theses using the techniques of density functional theory and molecular dynamics. These research endeavors have given him extensive experience with realistic computer simulations for very large systems, and, in particular, with simulations that often must run for very long times. This often represents extreme tests of the physical models and of the numerical algorithms.
As a consequence of his research experience, Jansen has a keen interest in having students develop programs that explore physical domains where the numerical methods or the physical model break down, and in using modern visualization techniques. Several of Jansen's research topics can be directly put into the Advanced Computational Lab. In addition, some of the research problems previously studied with undergraduate students, such as earthquakes, neural networks, and semiconductor systems, would also be included in the Advanced lab. Jansen's work with REU students gives him experience in this area.
In many ways, ours is an interdisciplinary program, and so faculty in the Departments of Mathematics and Computer Science at OSU have been consulted and clearly will be associated with it as they teach many of the courses in.
As part of Landau's association with the Education, Outreach and Training program of the National Partnership for Advanced Computational Science Infrastruture, he works with individuals from other partner institutions. In particular, the proposed degree program is also being developed similar to OSU's at the University of California, San Diego by Peter Arzberger, Kim Baldridge, and Bernard Pailthorpe (all at the San Diego Supercomputer Center). We will cooperate with them and share resources if possible.
b. Estimate the number, rank, and background of new faculty members that would need to be added to initiate the proposed program in each of the first four years of the proposed program's operation (assuming the program develops as anticipated). What commitment does the institution make to meeting these needs?
Although it may require some overloading, no new faculty would be required to start this program. We are committed to doing it, and since it is research into a new discipline, we will spend time on it that might otherwise be spent on basic research. For three years, one teaching assistance will be supported by the NSF, one by NPACI, and one by the College of Science. In addition, the NSF grant will pay for a faculty member to visit us from the University of Antioquia, and from WOU.
We have already received funds from OSU and from the NSF to assemble a 20-node Beowulf supercomputing cluster to be used by this program. [A ``Beowulf'' cluster is a supercomputer assembled from readily-available personal computers and communication switches.] We have also received funding from Technology Resource Fees for a Physics and Chemistry, Computer-Enhanced Learning Center in the Physics building.
c. Estimate the number and type of support staff needed in each of the first four years of the program.
A computing system manager for the Physics Department is already in place. Although in the past we have recruited a graduate student for this purpose, we have also received a commitment from the College of Science to work on a plan to permit College support for computer systems. The Beowulf Cluster will be set up and managed in part by the departmental computer system manager, and in part by the faculty and graduate students associated with the project. (We will also emulate the Swarm cluster in the CS Department so that we can make use of their experiences.) The Physics Department will focus their recruitment of graduate students to locate those who can help manage the computer system as well as to assist in developing the new courses. It is planned that some of these graduate students will do thesis work related to the development of the curriculum materials.
a. Describe the adequacy of student and faculty access to library and department resources (including, but not limited to: printed media, electronically-published materials, videotapes, motion pictures, CD-ROM and online databases, and sound files) that are relevant to the proposed program (e.g., if there is a recommended list of materials issued by the American Library Association or some other responsible group.
[The Library Evaluation is provided in an Appendix.]
b. How much, if any, additional financial support will be required to bring access to such reference materials to an appropriate level? How does the institution plan to acquire these needed resources?
This will be determined by the Valley Library evaluation.
a. What unique resources (in terms of buildings, laboratories, computer hardware/software, Internet or other on-line access, distributed-education capability, special equipment, and/or other materials) are necessary to the offering of a quality program in the field?
(See too next section.) A prior NSF laboratory grant has led to the establishment of a Computational Physics Laboratory containing 6 IBM Unix workstations, 2 DEC Unix workstations, and 14 NCD X stations (diskless workstations). This 24-hour facility is open to everyone in the department. There are also departmental computers in the Computer Interfacing Lab, in the General Physics labs, and in the Astronomy lab; while serving well-defined purposes, they are excellent examples of the use of computers in physics, and will be incorporated into our program. In September 2000, the Physics Department, assisted by grant funds made available by discounts on the Beowulf cluster, are upgrading and modernizing all their computational physics laboratories with 17 new Sun systems.
b. What resources, for facilities, equipment, and technology, beyond those now on hand, are necessary to offer this program? Be specific. How does the institution propose that these additional resources will be provided?
(See too previous section.) We have already received funds from the OSU Research Office and from the NSF to purchase a 20-node Beowulf supercomputing cluster to be used by this program. This will permit a larger number of students to have computer access simultaneously, as well as research-level computing within the Physics Department. In addition, we anticipate at least partial funding within 2000 for a Physics and Chemistry, Computer-Enhanced Learning Center in the Physics building. These facilities, along with the OSU library, will provide us with access to the reference sources and computing power needed.
While we have been able to obtain external grant funding to purchase equipment, in the past we have had to look to internal sources for maintenance and management. Presently, there are discussions and plans being worked on by the College of Science and the University to set up new budget categories for equipment maintenance and replacement. Contributions can then be placed into these categories on a yearly basis and withdrawn only when needed.
13. If this is a graduate program, please suggest three to six potential external reviewers.
N/A
a. On the attached Budget Outline sheet, please indicate the estimated cost of the program for the first four years of its operation (one page for each year).
b. If federal or other grant funds are required to launch the program, describe the status of the grant application process and the likelihood of receiving such funding. What does the institution propose to do with the program upon termination of the grant(s)?
A proposal for 400K to support the materials development part of this program has been awarded to OSU by the National Science Foundation. A separate proposal for 48K to the Education, Outreach, and Training thrust area [EOT] of the National Partnership for Advanced Computational Infrastructure [NPACI] centered at the San Diego Supercomputer Center has also been funded. NPACI is interested not only in our materials, but also in seeing a program of this sort established and tested.
c. If the program will be implemented in such a way as to have little or minimal budgetary impact, please provide a narrative which outlines how resources are being allocated/reallocated in order that the resource demands of the new program are being met. For example, describe what new activities will cost and whether they will be financed or staffed by shifting of assignments within the budgetary unit or reallocation of resources within the institution. Specifically state which resources will be moved and how this will affect those programs losing resources. Will the allocation of going-level budget funds in support of the program have an adverse impact on any other institutional programs? If so, which program(s) and in what ways?
We have obtained support from NPACI (48K including OSU cost sharing) and directly from the NSF (400K including cost sharing) to support the material development and program initiation parts of this project. This is providing the computer equipment needed at least for the first six years. As discussed previously, management of the computer systems will become part of the job of the existing departmental manager and a physics graduate student. In addition, we anticipate future computer-system management support from the College of Science.
While the level of support for acquisition and maintenance of computer equipment in the College of Science is not as high as that of some other Colleges, it is improving and programs such as this will help it improve. For example, the cost of high performance computers has been dropping significantly in these last few years, and we have just recently been able to receive some of the manufacturer's discounts normally reserved for Engineering and Computer Science Departments, as well as grants provided to the Computer Science Department by Sun Microsystems.
With the help of two Research Experience for Undergraduates grants with which we are associated, we have support for three graduate students and four undergraduates during the year, and an additional two during the summer. These grants are also supporting three years of visits by Professor Paez and/or his colleagues from the University of Antioquia, Colombia, who are programming and Java experts. These people will assist in the development of the materials, while Landau will spend two months during the summer on the project, Stetz at least one month, and Jansen at least two weeks.
We anticipate no new faculty hirings to support this project. Our grants will support teaching assistants and visiting faculty during development. However, the development period (and associated reduced-faculty teaching load) for the Physics Paradigms project is ending, and that should free up a significant amount of faculty time that can be used in support of this program. In the past, the two-term Computational Physics course and the one-term Introductory Scientific Computing course were developed, taught, and documented with commercially-published new educational materials, with no new staff and with no released time (but with summer support through [NACSE]). Although we will continue to seek a more proper level of support, we expect we can be equally productive with the level of support existing now for the present project.
Year 1 BUDGET OUTLINE |
||||||||
ESTIMATED COSTS AND SOURCES OF FUNDS FOR PROPOSED PROGRAM |
||||||||
| (Total new resources required to handle the increased workload, if any. If no new resources are required, the budgetary impact should be reported as zero. ) | ||||||||
| INSTITUTION | Oregon State University | |||||||
| PROGRAM | ||||||||
| ACADEMIC YEAR | 2000-2001 | |||||||
Column A |
Column B |
Column D |
Column F |
|||||
| FROM CURRENT BUDGETARY UNIT | INSTITUTIONAL REALLOCATION FROM OTHER BUDGETARY UNIT | FROM FEDERAL FUNDS AND OTHER GRANTS | LINE ITEM TOTAL | |||||
| PERSONNEL | ||||||||
| Faculty (Include FTE) | ||||||||
R.H. Landau ( .18FTE) |
7,975+7975 |
15,950 |
||||||
A.W. Stetz |
6,249 |
6,249 |
||||||
M.J. Paez |
10,000 |
10,000 |
||||||
B.S. Matson |
3,666 |
3,666 |
||||||
| Graduate Assistants (3) | 4,000 |
5,000+5,000 |
16,200 + 8,100 |
38,300 |
||||
| Undergraduate Students (2) | 10,000+5,000 |
15,000 |
||||||
| Support Staff (Include FTE), | ||||||||
| Fellowships/Scholarships | ||||||||
| OPE | 10,714+2,793 |
13,507 |
||||||
| Non-recurring | ||||||||
| Subtotal Personnel | ||||||||
| OTHER RESOURCES | ||||||||
| Library/Printed | ||||||||
| Library/Electronic | ||||||||
| Supplies and Services | 3,000 |
3,000 |
||||||
| Equipment (Supercomputer Lab) | 6,828 |
18,588 |
25,416 |
|||||
| Travel | 6,305+1,412 |
7,717 |
||||||
| Tuition | 5,922 |
5,922 |
||||||
| Indirect Costs | 29,716+8,720 |
35,436 |
||||||
| Other Expenses | 5,922 |
5,922 |
||||||
| Subtotal Other Resources | ||||||||
| PHYSICAL FACILITIES | ||||||||
| Construction | ||||||||
| Major Renovation | ||||||||
| Other Expenses | ||||||||
| Subtotal Facilities | ||||||||
| TOTALS | $4,000 |
16,828 |
168,207 |
189,085 |
||||
10/97
Year 2 BUDGET OUTLINE |
||||||||
ESTIMATED COSTS AND SOURCES OF FUNDS FOR PROPOSED PROGRAM |
||||||||
| (Total new resources required to handle the increased workload, if any. If no new resources are required, the budgetary impact should be reported as zero. ) | ||||||||
| INSTITUTION | Oregon State University | |||||||
| PROGRAM | ||||||||
| ACADEMIC YEAR | 2001-2002 | |||||||
Column A |
Column B |
Column D |
Column F |
|||||
| FROM CURRENT BUDGETARY UNIT | INSTITUTIONAL REALLOCATION FROM OTHER BUDGETARY UNIT | FROM FEDERAL FUNDS AND OTHER GRANTS | LINE ITEM TOTAL | |||||
| PERSONNEL | ||||||||
| Faculty (6 months total) | 37,297 |
37,297 |
||||||
| Graduate Assistants (3) | 4,160 |
5,200+5,000 |
16,848 + 8,424 |
39,632 |
||||
| Undergraduate Students (2) | 10,400+5,200 |
15,600 |
||||||
| Support Staff (Include FTE), | ||||||||
| Fellowships/Scholarships | ||||||||
| OPE | 11,179+2,905 |
14,084 |
||||||
| Non-recurring | ||||||||
| Subtotal Personnel | ||||||||
| OTHER RESOURCES | ||||||||
| Library/Printed | ||||||||
| Library/Electronic | ||||||||
| Supplies and Services | 3,120 |
3,120 |
||||||
| Equipment | ||||||||
| Travel | 6,557+1,468 |
8,025 |
||||||
| Tuition | 6,218 |
6,218 |
||||||
| Indirect Costs | 102,212+9,069 |
111,281 |
||||||
| Other Expenses (+Evaluation) | 6,218+24,087 |
30,305 |
||||||
| Subtotal Other Resources | ||||||||
| PHYSICAL FACILITIES | ||||||||
| Construction | ||||||||
| Major Renovation | ||||||||
| Other Expenses | ||||||||
| Subtotal Facilities | ||||||||
| TOTALS | $4,160 |
10,200 |
251,202 |
265,562 |
||||
10/97
Year 3 BUDGET OUTLINE |
||||||||
ESTIMATED COSTS AND SOURCES OF FUNDS FOR PROPOSED PROGRAM |
||||||||
| (Total new resources required to handle the increased workload, if any. If no new resources are required, the budgetary impact should be reported as zero. ) | ||||||||
| INSTITUTIO | Oregon State University | |||||||
| PROGRAM | ||||||||
| ACADEMIC YEAR | 2002-2003 | |||||||
Column A |
Column B |
Column D |
Column F |
|||||
| FROM CURRENT BUDGETARY UNIT | INSTITUTIONAL REALLOCATION FROM OTHER BUDGETARY UNIT | FROM FEDERAL FUNDS AND OTHER GRANTS | LINE ITEM TOTAL | |||||
| PERSONNEL | ||||||||
| Faculty (5 months total) | 30,163 |
30,163 |
||||||
| Graduate Assistants (2 TE) | 4,326 |
16,848 |
21,174 |
|||||
| Undergraduate Students (2) | 10,816+5,408 |
16,224 |
||||||
| Support Staff (Include FTE), | ||||||||
| Fellowships/Scholarships | ||||||||
| OPE | 11,711 |
11,711 |
||||||
| Non-recurring | ||||||||
| Subtotal Personnel | ||||||||
| OTHER RESOURCES | ||||||||
| Library/Printed | ||||||||
| Library/Electronic | ||||||||
| Supplies and Services | 3,245 |
3,245 |
||||||
| Equipment | ||||||||
| Travel | 6,820 |
6,820 |
||||||
| Tuition | 6,218 |
6,218 |
||||||
| Indirect Costs | 30,702 |
30,702 |
||||||
| Other Expenses (Evaluation) | 25,092 |
25,092 |
||||||
| Subtotal Other Resources | ||||||||
| PHYSICAL FACILITIES | ||||||||
| Construction | ||||||||
| Major Renovation | ||||||||
| Other Expenses | ||||||||
| Subtotal Facilities | ||||||||
| TOTALS | 4,326 |
147,023 |
151,349 |
|||||
10/97