Outreach

 

The Regional Development Centers of Excellence (CoE) will connect colleges, communities, technologies businesses, and other institutions across Montana with the RMSC managed facilities. Through the CoEs, local R&D businesses, community groups, and other institutions can access technical expertise and supercomputing capabilities using tele- and video-conferencing as well as 3D visualization capabilities. These “gateways” will allow CoE members to formulate decisions based on the results of modeling and simulation carried out using RMSC supercomputer and networking resources.

 

RMSC staff will also demonstrate our capabilities to community leaders, educators, and state legislators. Staff will provide up-to-date information on proposed and ongoing initiatives in science and technology in Montana. RMSC outreach staff offers marketing, public relations, and event management services, while the RMSC Office of Public Affairs and Public Policy will help the Governor’s Office develop relationships with local, state, federal, and international governments.

 

The CoE gateways will also serve as locations to bring in K-12 students to instill an interest in science, engineering, and mathematics by providing access to large-screen 3D visualization presentations and the ability to play educational games on 3D remote (thin client) computers. Demonstrations to primary and secondary eduction students will show materials with relevance to Montana, such as groundwater modeling, electrical power distribution, transportation, and wildfire management.

 

CAST: Computation And Science for Teachers

RMSC will present a program for high school science and mathematic teachers to prepare them to become leaders in the effective use of modeling and simulation tools in the classroom. The “Computation And Science for Teachers (CAST)” program is motivated by the current crisis in science and technology education in the U.S. In a landmark 2005 report, "Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future," the joint committee of the National Academies wrote: "...the scientific and technical building blocks of our economic leadership are eroding at a time when many other nations are gathering strength. We fear the abruptness with which a lead in science and technology can be lost--and the difficulty of recovering a lead once lost, if indeed it can be regained at all."

CAST Mission

The CAST program proposes to bring to the classroom the same problem-solving, technology-rich approaches currently used in scientific research and in business. Computational science has become a powerful paradigm to complement other approaches. Computational tools, ranging from spreadsheets on microprocessors to advanced molecular modeling tools on supercomputers, are allowing scientists to model processes too costly or impossible to investigate in other ways. Computational tools such as modeling and simulation can be considered a new way of doing science, along with experimentation to test a hypothesis. Often the analytical solutions provided by computational science help students to better understand complex scientific concepts.

 

CAST Objectives

• Show high school science and mathematics teachers how to create and use effective models and simulations.
• Demonstrate how computer modeling and simulation can foster an understanding of complex scientific concepts.
• Raise awareness of the critical need to encourage students to consider careers in science, mathematics, and technology.

 

Supercomputing JumpStart Overview

Through the JumpStart program, RMSC and CoE staff will travel to schools to bring students and teachers a dynamic two-hour workshop on computational science and cyberinfrastructure. We’ll engage students in thinking about science project ideas. Workshop formats include:

• Science class guest lectures — A presentation and class discussion on computational science. Suitable for 45- to 90 minute class periods.
• After-school programs — More in depth material and opportunities for discussion for more science-oriented audiences.
• Weekend workshops — Can be arranged through a school or other educational entity. More hands-on engagement in computational science for participants, offering more opportunities to delve into major themes and explore career options.

 

Science Fair Resource

RMSC encourages middle and high-school students who are competing in their local or regional science fairs to consider projects that use computational thinking and computational tools, such as modeling, simulation, visualization or data mining. Computational methods can be a key part of a project in any scientific discipline, and can be integrated into any phase of the project — data analysis, visualization of results, simulation of a process or concept, etc. A student’s project may even develop new computational tools! As a sponsor of statewide science and engineering fairs, RMSC will award annual prizes to two students who demonstrate the most effective use of computation in a research project.

 

Business Education and Training

Supercomputing will become a central resource for training generations of Montana students, researchers, and entrepreneurs in how to leverage state-of-the-art, high-performance computing systems to solve grand challenges of state, national, and global priority.

 

RMSC is ideally positioned to meet technical and infrastructure requirements as customers’ needs evolve. Education and Client Support teams will develop educational materials and workshops to support emerging networking and training needs. Responsibilities of RMSC education and training programs include the following.

 

• Develop and implement standards for authoring tools, training templates, and content media.
• Create, develop, coordinate, and implement IT Education Content.
• Work with outside organizations to provide supercomputing education services as necessary.
• Deliver training in classrooms as well as through web-based and computer-based programs.
• Coordinate with ITSD to build-out a support structure for supercomputing educational services.
• Organize, assist, and educate functional/divisional content providers to enable training in corporate enterprises.
• Work with R&D and RED CoE leaders to identify educational needs and develop appropriate solutions to identify and close technology gaps.
• Gather feedback from technical training sessions and communicate to Management Team.
• Monitor and publish educational metrics.