Exciting careers in ComputerModeling
* How were computer models involved in making this scene possible?
What is it?
How does it work?
Who uses it? What can I do with it?
Where can I learn it?
Ifyou’veevercheckedtheweather,driven
throughthedowntownareaofalargecity,
ordiscussedglobalwarming,thenyou’ve
reliedoncomputermodelstoinformand
guideyou.Computermodelsareused
toinfluencegovernmentdecisionsabout
healthcareandtheeconomy.They’re
usedinresearchandindustrytopredict
everythingfromtheeffectivenessofanew
cancerdrugtothelikelihoodthatyou’llbuy
sneakersinthenextsixmonths.
Computermodelsconsidervarious
piecesofinformation,performcalcula-
tions,andthenreportresults,whichare
oftenvisualizedusingimages,graphs,and
tables.Forexample,topredicttheweather,
thecomputerneedsmanydifferentthings,
includingcurrentwindspeed,temperature,
humidity,airpressure,andsurfacecharac-
teristics(e.g.,land,water,mountains)that
affecttheregioncoveredbytheprediction.
Infact,hundredsofweatherballoonsare
releasedaroundtheworldeverydayto
recordatmosphericinformationforweather
models.
Theweatherforecastmodelmustbe
programmedtoanalyzehowthesethings
interactwitheachother.Howdoesair
withdifferenttemperaturesandhumidity
levelsreactwhensurroundedbyacooleror
warmerenvironment?Whathappenswhen
airataspecifictemperaturepassesover
alargebodyofwateratanothertempera-
ture?Howdodifferentairstreamsflowing
indifferentdirectionsatdifferentaltitudes
affecteachother?Thecomputermodel
calculatesanswerstothesequestions—and
manymore—togiveanaccurateprediction.
Weatherforecastsaretheresultofthese
calculationsandhelpyoudecideifyou’ll
needanumbrella,asweater,orsunscreen
whenyouleaveyourhouse!
Computermodelsareusedinalmost
everyareaofresearchandindustry.By
developingyourmodelingskillsnow,you
willbepreparedformanypossiblecareer
paths.
What isComputer Modeling?
How does it work?
Designingacomputer
modelisthemostimportant
step.Whatpiecesofinformation
willthemodelneed?What
calculationsshoulditperform
withthatinformation?(Youcan
thinkofthemodelasaseries
ofequationsthatrepresentthe
relationshipsbetweenthedata.)
Computermodelingisusedinawidevarietyof
careers.Scientistsusecomputermodelsinevery
fieldofresearch.Designersusemodelstopredict
everythingfromthebestshapeforanewracecarto
thestabilityofbridgesandbuildings.Stocktraders
andinvestmentcompaniestrytopredictstockprices
usingcomputermodels.
Thislistincludesjustafewofthemanyjobsthat
relyoncomputermodeling.Lookinsidetoseemore.
Dataisfedintoa
computermodel,whichthen
performscalculations,often
hundredsorthousandsof
times,topredictwhatwill
happenovertime.
1 2 Theoutputofa
computermodelistypically
thenumericalresultsofall
thecalculations.Images,
graphs,andtablesareused
todisplaythesecalculations.
3
Actuaries
Aerospace Engineers
Astronomers
Atmospheric and Space Scientists
Bioengineers
Chemical Engineers
Drug Designers
Economists
Epidemiologists
Geneticists
Geoscientists
Hydrologists
Materials Scientists
Meteorologists
Microbiologists
Pathologists
Physicists
Political Scientists
Sociologists
Statisticians
Urban planners
Wildlife biologists
What can you do with computer models?
P h y s i c s
Scientistsworkinginphysics-relatedfieldsusecomputermodels
tounderstandtheoriginsandfateoftheuniverse.Theyuse
modelstotestdesignsfornewelectronicdevicesbeforegoing
throughthecostlyprocessofmanufacturingthem.Theydesign
airplanes,rockets,andspacecraft.Theyevenworkforgameand
specialeffectscompaniessothevirtualworldyouexperiencein
3Dgamingandmoviesfeelsasrealaspossible.
Engineer
Computer models help me to design all kinds of machines
and gadgets, including those that produce energy from renewable
sources like wind power.
The blade of a windmill is very similar to an airplane wing, so engineering designs and model results from aviation can be applied to wind energy.
Other Careers in Physics Education AverageJobTitle Description LevelRequired Salary
ElectronicsTechnician
Meteorologist
MechanicalEngineer
SoftwarePublisher(GameDesigner)
Astronomer
Maintain,adjust,calibrate,andrepairelectronic,electromechanical,andhydraulicequipment.
Studytheatmosphere’sphysicalcharacteristics,motions,andprocesses,topredicttheweather.
Research,design,develop,manufac-ture,andtesttools,engines,machines,andothermechanicaldevices.
Analyzeusers’needs,andthendesign,test,anddevelopsoftwaretomeetthoseneeds.
Observe,measure,interpret,anddeveloptheoriestoexplaincelestialandphysicalphenomena.Developtheinstrumentationandtechniquesusedtoobserveandcollectastronomicaldata.
Highschooldiploma
Bachelor’sdegree
Bachelor’sdegree
Bachelor’sdegree
Ph.D.
$40,580
$77,150
$69,850
$79,780
$95,740
windflow
lift drag
windflow
c h e m i s t r y
A protein (in purple) specially designed to bind to DNA is shown here. Using computer models chemists can design molecules to perform many functions.
Other Careers in Chemistry Education AverageJobTitle Description LevelRequired Salary
ForensicScienceTechnician
FoodScientist
MaterialsScientist
EnvironmentalEngineer
ComputationalChemist(DrugDesigner)
Investigatecrimesbycollectingandanalyzingphysicalevidence.
Developneworbetterwaysofpreserving,processing,packaging,storing,anddeliveringfoods.
Researchchemicalsandhowtheycanbeusedinthedevelopmentofnewandimprovedsyntheticfibers,paints,drugs,cosmetics,electroniccomponents,andthousandsofotherproducts.
Developsolutionstoenvironmentalproblems,includ-ingwaterandairpollutioncontrol,recycling,wastedisposal,andpublichealthissues.
Designnewmoleculestosolveproblemsinmedicineandotherfields.Modelatomiclevelbehaviorofmaterialstobetterunderstandfundamentalprinciplesofchemistry.
Associate’sdegree
Master’sdegree
Bachelor’sdegree
Bachelor’sdegree
Ph.D.
$45,320
$53,810
$74,610
$69,940
$68,760
Scientistsworkinginchemistry-relatedfieldsusecomputer
modelstodesignmoleculesthatcaninteractwithourcells.
Theyhelpcompaniesfindrawmaterialslikegold,diamonds,
andoil.Theyhelpmodelclimatechangeandpredictthe
resultsofchangesinregulationsthataffectthecleanlinessof
ourairandwater.Thenewfieldofnanotechnologyrelieson
computermodelstoguidethedesignofobjectsthataretoo
smalltoseeevenwithamicroscope,objectsthatwillulti-
matelyhaveuniqueelectricalorchemicalproperties.
Drug Designer
Using computer models I design molecules that target
specific diseases. Some day, cancer may be cured this way.
h u m a n B e h a v i o r
Other Careers in Human Behavior Education AverageJobTitle Description LevelRequired Salary
Actuary
MarketandSurveyResearcher
UrbanPlanner
Economist
Sociologist
Assesstheriskofeventsoccurringandhelpcreatepoliciesthatminimizeriskanditsfinancialimpactoncompaniesandclients.
Helpcompaniesunderstandwhattypesofprod-uctspeoplewantandatwhatprice.
Developplansfortheuseoflandandthegrowthandrevitalizationofurban,suburban,andruralcommunities.
Conductresearch,collectandanalyzedata,monitoreconomictrends,anddevelopforecasts.
Studysocietyandsocialbehavior,includinghowpeoplereacttothespreadoftechnology,healthepidemics,crime,andsocialmovements.
Bachelor’sdegree
Bachelor’sdegree
Master’sdegree
Master’sorPh.D.
Master’sorPh.D.
$82,800
$58,820
$56,630
$77,010
$60,290
Thefieldofhumanbehaviorcoversawiderangeoftopics
frombusinessmanagementtothestudyofhowthebrain
functions.Somescientistsmodelsocialinteractionsbetween
largepopulationsofpeoplewhileotherscreatemodelsto
helpthempredictthedirectionofthestockmarket.Robotics
designerswhodevelophuman-likerobotsmodelthewaywe
moveandeventhewaywethinkandexpressemotion.
Economist
Corporations and governments use the
information I get from computer models to help the economy
run smoothly.
Wildlife Biologist
B i o l o g y
Other Careers in Biology Education AverageJobTitle Description LevelRequired Salary
LabTechnician
BiomedicalEngineer
Epidemiologist
WildlifeBiologist
CancerResearcher
Preparespecimens,operateautomatedanalyzers,andper-formmanualtestswithdetailedinstructions.
Applyknowledgeofengineering,biology,andbiomechani-calprinciplestothedesign,development,andevaluationofbiologicalandhealthsystemsandproducts.
Investigateanddescribethecausesandspreadofdisease—suchasinfluenzaorcholera—anddevelopthemeansforpreventionorcontrol.
Studyanimalsandwildlife—theirorigin,behavior,diseases,andlifeprocesses.
Conductbiomedicalresearchtodevelopnewpreventivemeasures,drugs,andtreatmentprocedures.
Associate’sdegree
Bachelor’sdegree
Master’sdegree
Ph.D.
Ph.D.
$32,840
$51,350
$56,670
$53,300
$61,680
Scientistsworkinginbiology-relatedfieldsusecomputer
modelstopredictthespreadofdisease.Theyusemod-
elstounderstandhowthebodyworksatmanydifferent
levels,fromthewaybreathingisaffectedbypollutionto
thespecificdetailsofhowanervecellsendssignalsto
thebrain.Biologistsusecomputermodelstodecidewhat
organismstointroduceandwhatchangestomaketo
restoretheenvironmenttoastateofecologicalbalance.
Withthehelpofcomputermodels,hugeamountsofdata
inourgenesarenowbeinganalyzedtobetterunderstand
geneticdisordersandhowtotreatthem.
A map showing regions that have been infested by an invasive species. Biologists will feed this data into a com-puter model that can help test plans for restoring balance to the environment.
Density(yd2) Area%
Uninfested <3 16.4
Threatened 3-8 35.8
Infested >8 18.5
Forested 29.3
Samplelocationsinuninfestedareas.
Computer models help predict the effects
new development will have on habitats and ecosystems.
©2009,TheConcordConsortium,Inc.
ThesematerialsarebaseduponworksupportedbytheNationalScienceFoundationundergrantnumberESI-0737649.
Anyopinions,findings,andconclusionsorrecom-mendationsexpressedinthismaterialarethoseoftheauthor(s)anddonotnecessarilyreflecttheviewsoftheNationalScienceFoundation.
Sourceofinsidetables:BureauofLaborStatistics,U.S.DepartmentofLabor,Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition.(http://www.bls.gov/oco/)
™
I T E S TRI
Answers to question on cover:
How were computer models involved in making this scene possible?
1.Thevideogameusesacomputermodeltoguidethemotionandbehaviorofobjectsonthescreen.
2. Theelectronicsofthegameconsole,theTV,andthesoundsystemweredesignedusingcomputermodels.
3.Thefurniturewasdesignedwithcomputerdraftingtoolsthatallowthedesignertoseewhatanobjectwilllooklikebeforeit’sproduced.
4.Thehealtheffectsoffoodadditivesinthesodaandsnackwerestudiedusingmodelstopredicthowmanypeoplemightexperiencesideeffects.
5.NewmaterialslikethoseintheflatpanelTVweredesignedandtestedusingcomputermodels.
6.Themarketingofthevideogame,food,andclotheswasguidedbycomputermodelsthathelpeddefinetheadvertisingcampaigns,theaudienceofpotentialbuyers,andthepotentialprofitforthecompanies.
Can you think of anything else?
Moreinformationandinteractivemodel-basedactivitiesforteachingsciencecanbefoundathttp://ri-itest.concord.org
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