Perspectives on Growing a Graduate Program in Computational Science

CASC Meeting, Oct. 4, 2012Terry Moore

tmoore@icl.utk.edu, 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 * cbpeters@utk.edu

Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Dr. David Keffer * dkeffer@utk.eduChemistry Dr. Robert Hinde rhinde@utk.eduCivil and Environmental Engineering Dr. Joshua Fu jsfu@utk.eduEarth and Planetary Sciences Dr. Edmund Perfect eperfect@utk.edu

Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Dr. Paul Armsworth p.armsworth@utk.edu

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Dr. Jack Dongarra *Dr. Greg Peterson

dongarra@eecs.utk.edugdp@eecs.utk.edu

Genome Science & Technology Dr. Cynthia Peterson * cbpeters@utk.edu

Geography Dr. Bruce Ralston (Nicholas Nagel) bralston@utk.edu

Information Science Dr. Devendra Potnis* dpontis@utk.eduMaterials Science and Engineering Dr. James Morris morrisj@ornl.govMathematics Dr. Vasilios Alexiades * alexiades@utk.eduMechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Eng. Dr. Kivanc Ekici ekici@utk.eduPhysics Dr. Thomas Papenbrock tpapenbr@utk.edu

Statistics Dr. Hamparsum Bozdogan bozdogan@utk.edu

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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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