• INCITE PROGRAM

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science provides a portfolio of national high-performance computing facilities housing some of the world’s most advanced supercomputers. These leadership computing facilities enable world-class research for significant advances in science.

    Open to researchers from academia, government labs, and industry, the Innovative and Novel Computational Impact on Theory and Experiment (INCITE) program is the major means by which the scientific community gains access to some of the fastest supercomputers. The program aims to accelerate scientific discoveries and technological innovations by awarding, on a competitive basis, time on supercomputers to researchers with large-scale, computationally intensive projects that address “grand challenges” in science and engineering.

    In 2010, powerful, leadership-class computing systems at DOE’s Argonne and Oak Ridge National Laboratories are providing 1.6 billion processor hours to 69 INCITE projects around the world. The allocations support high-impact advancements by providing computer time and resources for one to three years. See the list of the 2010 INCITE award recipients.

    Announcement

    The INCITE program seeks proposals of computer time for research projects that require petascale resources to address high-impact scientific and engineering challenges. Nearly 1.6 billion processor hours will be allocated in CY2011 to researchers worldwide for research projects that would not be possible or productive without the computing capabilities and computational support available through DOE leadership-class supercomputing facilities at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois and Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. For details, see the Call for Proposals at http://hpc.science.doe.gov or contact INCITE@DOEleadershipcomputing.org. The Call for Proposals closes June 30, 2010.

  • Parkinson's Visualization

    Understanding the Molecular Basis of Parkinson’s Disease

    Understanding molecular mechanisms paves way to focus search for a treatment

    By using computer simulations to study how abnormal structures on proteins in the brain can cause clumping, researchers at the University of California are gaining a better understanding of Parkinson’s Disease and ways to treat it.

    Using molecular models and simulations together with biochemical and ultrastructural analysis, scientists showed that the clumping of a protein known as a alpha-synuclein in the brain can lead to harmful pore-like structures. In contrast, another protein, beta-synuclein, appeared to block the clumping action. Learn More

  • Invisible Means of Support

    Astrophysicists simulate the dark matter that cradles a galaxy

    A team led by astrophysicist Piero Madau of the University of California–Santa Cruz (UCSC) has given us a glimpse into the invisible world of dark matter, performing the largest computer simulation ever of dark matter evolving in a galaxy such as the Milky Way.

    The simulation divided the galaxy’s envelope of dark matter into a billion parcels and showed how they would evolve over 13 billion years. Learn More

  • Form Formation Visualization

    Molecular Simulations of Foam Formation

    Enabling Breakthrough Innovation at P&G

    Until recently, most of the knowledge of how suds form and break down was based primarily on experience and observation. Because an understanding of these processes is critical in the development of many consumer goods, foods and fire control materials, Procter & Gamble researchers use ALCF resources awarded to them through the DOE's INCITE program to conduct computer simulations studies of foam. Learn More

  • Biofuel Visualization

    From Photosynthesis to Fuel: The Next Generation of Ethanol

    As the public becomes more concerned about the environmental effects of global warming and air pollution, researchers are investigating alternative energy sources. Motor vehicles are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, and cleaner fuels could dramatically lower the amount of carbon dioxide, methane, and pollutants released into the atmosphere.

    Ethanol biofuel, one of the most viable alternatives to fossil fuels, has been blended with gasoline since 2002. Net emissions of ethanol combustion are lower than those from fossil fuels because corn planted to make ethanol converts some of the carbon dioxide back into glucose and oxygen through photosynthesis. Learn More