Perspectives on Growing a Graduate Program in Computational Science
CASC Meeting, Oct. 4, 2012Terry Moore
[email protected], Innovative Computing Laboratory, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
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Innovative Computing Laboratory
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A Computational Science Program @ UTK
Interdisciplinary Graduate Minor in
Computational Science
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A simple conception of Computational Science
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Interdisciplinary Graduate Minor
• Interdisciplinary• Digitalization and networking have encouraged
interdisciplinary activities —— breaking down silos• Graduate • Each of the areas in the triangle has a core curriculum• But there is no core curriculum for Computational
Science• Minor• Complementary knowledge/skill/expertise to main area of
specialization• Goes on student’s transcript; part of the official record
Requirements for Students• General Idea: Students have a
“home” area for their major degree; IGMCS minor requires a combination of courses “outside of home.” • Masters Level: Requires 9 hours (3
courses) from IGMCS areaS. • 9 hours (3 courses) from the different
areas.• Students must take at least 3 hours (1
course) from each of the 2 non-home areas
• Doctoral level: Requires15 hours (5 courses) from the pools. • At least 15 hours (5 courses) must be taken
outside the student’s home area.• Students must take at least 3 hours (1
course) from each of the 2 non-home areas6
Mathematicsand Statistics
ComputerAnd Information
Science
Domain Sciences
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Internship• Optional but strongly encouraged. • Students in the program can fulfill 3 hrs. of their requirement through an Internship with researchers outside the student’s major. • The internship may be taken offsite, e.g. ORNL, on campus (with a faculty member in another department), or in Industry. IGMCS students have interned at ORNL, Google, Microsoft & Intel. • Internships must have the approval of the IGMCS Program Committee.
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Machinery of our little slice ofthe Bureaucracy
Student form shows the tailored process works• Plan is
agreed to• Students
execute/Plans can change
• Results are approved
Advisor and Liaison coordinate to tailor/adapt plan for studentAll relevant
parties sign off when plan is completed
IGMCS Participating Departments
Department IGMCS Liaison Email
Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology Dr. Cynthia Peterson/Dr. Harry Richards * [email protected]
Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Dr. David Keffer * [email protected] Dr. Robert Hinde [email protected] and Environmental Engineering Dr. Joshua Fu [email protected] and Planetary Sciences Dr. Edmund Perfect [email protected]
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Dr. Paul Armsworth [email protected]
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Dr. Jack Dongarra *Dr. Greg Peterson
[email protected]@eecs.utk.edu
Genome Science & Technology Dr. Cynthia Peterson * [email protected]
Geography Dr. Bruce Ralston (Nicholas Nagel) [email protected]
Information Science Dr. Devendra Potnis* [email protected] Science and Engineering Dr. James Morris [email protected] Dr. Vasilios Alexiades * [email protected], Aerospace and Biomedical Eng. Dr. Kivanc Ekici [email protected] Dr. Thomas Papenbrock [email protected]
Statistics Dr. Hamparsum Bozdogan [email protected]
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Program Administration• IGMCS Program Committee (6 to 8 people)• Subset of the Program Faculty• 1-2 representatives from each of the colleges involved• Renewable 2 year terms• Responsible for oversight: program requirements, approving
courses and department programs, student course selection, etc.• IGMCS Faculty Liaisons• Any faculty member, assistant professor or above in rank,
nominated by department head and approved by program committee
• Responsible for updating course lists, working with department faculty, student advising student research, serving on student committees
• Administrative Support• A fraction of a person from the Center for Information Technology
Research
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How it StartedChancellor says …
Jack, I want a Computational Science Program!
*Dec. 2004
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Problem 1: Computational Science is not well defined intellectually
This side is well understood: “In every department of physical science there is only so much science, properly so-called, as there is mathematics.” ~Immanuel Kant
Established and familiar disciplines; sometimes controversial where they are becoming
computational
CISE disciplines are new, evolving, disruptive to traditional academic structures
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Problem 2: Disciplines that are well defined have academic turf
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How it grew• February 2005: Initial
discussion with a few departments
• May 2005: Solicited input from departments on “Certificate in Computational Science”
• June 2005: Draft material sent to all interested parties
• October 2005: First campus organizing meeting for a UTK Computational Science program
• November 2005: Graduate Dean suggests modeling after Stat’s minor: Intercollegiate Graduate Minor in Statistics (IGMS)
• December 2005: Group meets and agrees on some initial version of the plan
• February 2006: Second Group meeting
• March 2006• Subcommittee formed to
provide plan• Plan circulated and agreed
on• Dean of Graduate School
approves plan• April 2006: “Buy in” from
many parties• May 2006: Curriculum
Committee of the Graduate Council approval
• Fall 2006: Added to 2007 graduate catalogue; other departments join.
• January 2007: IGMCS enrolls its first students
Step 1: Achieve common understandingStep 2: Find a model people already understand
Some Current Stats• 30 students currently in the program• 2 new students: 1 PhD in CEE, 1 MS in INSC• 4 students received an IGMCS minor in summer 2012• 3 PhD: Chemistry, Computer Science, Civil &
Environmental Engineering, • 1 MS: Information Science• 26 total graduates: 17 PhD, 9 MS• Instrumental in 2 IGERT awards
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Problem 3: Constant turnover of the technological base
• Everybody knows that computing power is increasing exponentially• It’s now obvious that the observational basis of science --- the data--- is revolutionizing as well• The collaborative infrastructure of science is clearly being revolutionized•What is the role of the University in the age of Khan academy?
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IGMCS life prospects• It currently lives on a minimum of resources• Volunteer efforts from IGMCS faculty participants• Fractional administrative support from CITR, i.e. Jack’s
center• No core curriculum… but there could be, e.g.• Essentials of programming• “Software carpentry”• Managing the digital data life cycle• Domain X for non-domain X’ers• Considering a full-blown PhD program• Problem: Organizing for “Interdisciplnarity” means making
the walls of the silos permeable
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