An algorithm for success
By Nicholas Demille
In October of 2016, NASA Senior Scientist Mark Carpenter packed his suitcase and headed for the airport. His goal was to explore a research question that had intrigued him for years: Carpenter wanted to see if researchers could harness the power of the world's fastest computers to simulate the movement of objects through three-dimensional space in lifelike, dynamic atmospheric conditions (wind, water, collisions, etc.). The physics of such situations are understood when holding atmospheric conditions constant, but they are not known with a great degree of certainty under changing conditions—something that enormous computer-generated simulations could begin to provide if powered by the right algorithms.
The confluence of gamechanging infrastructure, excellent researchers and a growing track record of pioneering research outcomes has truly transformed KAUST into a global destination.” - Dr. Teofilo Abrajano, KAUST OSR director "Ten to 15 years ago, we were happy to understand what happens to the wing of an airplane under normal conditions," Carpenter said. "Now, because of the growth in computing power, we are looking to model what happens to the entire plane under many different conditions. We want to solve the flight envelope from take off and landing to cruising and more." As an applied mathematician, Carpenter excels at algorithm development—this is what he has worked on at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, U.S., for over 30 years. It was the pursuit of world-changing algorithm development and global supercomputing power that made Carpenter board a plan and head for one of the few places in the world where both things exist in equal measure—Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
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THE BEACON | MAY 2017
Putting a research powerhouse on the map In the early 2000s, the late Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud set a plan in motion to grow the Saudi economy, including the establishment of a Saudi Arabia-based international university of science and technology modeled on the centuriesold Arab traditions of the House of Wisdom. However, King Abdullah wasn't looking just to bring the science in a big way— he was looking to help reframe some of the global imagination about where science is done at the highest levels and by whom. Fast forward to 2015 when a meeting of computational scientists and industry leaders formally announced that the seventh fastest supercomputer in the world was at KAUST. It's a monumental leap for any institution anywhere, made more surprising by the University's location in Thuwal. Equally as important for Carpenter's work, the team that operates and optimizes the supercomputer is also one of the world's most progressive when it comes to algorithms for large systems of linear algebraic equations. Amidst the noise and excitement of an international research conference in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., KAUST Assistant Professor Matteo Parsani spoke about his work with Carpenter and how a grant from CRDF Global brought them back together to do something they had originally dreamed up during their time at Langley. "We've come so far in our ability to work with colleagues around the world. Skype is good, but it doesn’t really work for the type of research that we do," said Parsani. "Our work is about standing together, writing out equations and coming up with ideas, doing proofs and pair programming. It is a different feeling when you do research in the same room, working on the same whiteboard compared to when you do it over Skype. The distance is damaging to the creative process.”
Facilitating collaboration In April of 2016, the U.S. non-profit CRDF Global began taking applications for a KAUST Visiting Scholar Fellowship Program administered by the KAUST Office of Sponsored Research (OSR). The aim was to "facilitate collaborative research projects between Saudi and U.S. researchers and encourage academic exchange between the Saudi and the U.S. science community," according to the CRDF website. The 2016 fellowships, of
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