Cleveland State University faculty soon will learn new ways to transform their data into visualizations to give themselves, colleagues and students a better understanding of their research with the help of a two-day workshop offered by the CSU Dept. of Chemistry and the Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC).
Ken Flurchick, director of scientific programs for OSC, will train participants to use AVS, a visualization software package from Advanced Visual Systems, Inc., that offers various techniques for creating scientific visualizations. The workshop will be held on Sept. 17-18 in Rm. 305, Main Classroom. Individuals already familiar with AVS will have an opportunity to learn how to extend the capabilities of AVS by writing modules, which gives users even more options in creating unique visuals.
"By the end of the workshop faculty should have a better understanding of how they can take their results and turn it into something that people can grasp," Flurchick said. "The software can be a great asset to chemists and physicists, whose work often is abstract."
Some CSU faculty and graduate students already use AVS to illustrate their work. Dr. David Ball, Department of Chemistry, created a three-dimensional projection of his research with the chemistry of nitric oxide compounds using the software.
Flurchick was invited to lead the workshop because of his strong background in AVS and high performance computing. He has assisted scientists, faculty, and students solve problems using high end architectures and scientific visualization since 1981.
OSC, located in Columbus, currently offers AVS software to its users through the Center's Cray Y-MP8 supercomputer and DEC Alpha Cluster. The Center is a shared-statewide resource serving Ohio's higher education community. OSC offers high performance computing resources on a peer-review basis to more than 1,250 faculty and students seeking answers to cutting-edge problems or for classroom instruction. OSC Networking provides Internet access to faculty, staff, and students at Ohio's colleges and universities.
Contact David Ball at 687-2456 or d.ball@popmail.csuohio.eduto register or for more information on the AVS workshop. Space is limited to 10 participants.
