SC 09: Educational Program

SC 09: International Conference on High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis Event
Nov 14, 2009 - Nov 17, 2009 in Portland, OR

Pathways (10:30-11:30 Sunday, November 15)
David Joiner, Norman Chonocky, Mario Belloni, and Richard Gass

Over the last 3 years, the Physics team for SC Education has been working to define the set of problems in computational physics that exemplify the overlap between the standard physics curriculum, fundamental computational physics skills, and advances in high performance computing. The direction of the physics team will be discussed in an open forum, along with opportunities to work with the physics team and provide feedback on pursuing key problems and identifying existing content for further dissemination.


Easy Java Simulations (1:30-3:00 Sunday, November 15)
Mario Belloni

In teaching science, many of the topics taught require mathematics or visualizations that are not familiar to the students in these courses.  To address this issue, we have created a set of flexible resources for the teaching of science based on two- and three-dimensional simulations.  They are created with Easy Java Simulations, EJS, which is a free and open source authoring tool.  Because EJS allows teachers to easily change simulations, existing simulations can be customized to the level and type of science course one is teaching.  This workshop will show examples including simple 1- and 2-dimensional motion, population biology, the seasons, and eclipses (solar and lunar).  Workshop participants will also have the opportunity to modify and examine existing models in order to gain experience with Easy Java Simulations.  The EJS authoring tool and examples of existing models from astronomy, biology, and physics will be distributed on CD and are also available on ComPADRE, an NSDL Pathway.  



Digital Libraries (10:30-11:30 Monday, November 16)
David Joiner, Norman Chonocky, Mario Belloni, and Richard Gass

Many digital library projects in Physics currently exist to catalog and disseminate educational materials that include computation. Among the digital library efforts that will be discussed are ComPADRE and the Computational Science Education Reference Desk. The ComPADRE digital library focuses on Physics Education, and includes sections on pedagogical articles and information, traditional lesson plan, and computational activities. Through a partnership with the Open Source Physics projects, ComPadre hosts an extensive selection of Physlet, OSP, and Easy Java Simulation models for physics teachers. The Computational Science Education Reference Desk focuses on computational science education, and includes sections on parallel algorithms and on computational physics activities. Other digital library efforts will also be discussed in a panel format with demonstrations.