News

Jun 29
0

Seeking Student for Fall 2020 Research Project in GPU Programming for HPC Simulations of Quantum Systems!

By | News, SC2 jobs

Seeking Student for Fall 2020 Research Project Position with the U-M Computational Quantum Many-Body Physics Group

The U-M Computational Quantum Many-Body Physics Group, led by Professor Emanuel Gull,  is seeking a master’s student to contribute to its work on a research project in graphics processing unit (GPU) programming for high-performance computing (HPC) simulations of quantum systems. Qualified undergraduate students may also be considered for this position. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity!

Position Details: 

  • Knowledge of physics and quantum mechanics is not required for this position
  • The estimated workload for this position is 10-20 hours per week
  • Tentative start date: Fall 2020 term on the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus

Required Qualifications:

  • Experience working with CUDA parallel computing platform and related techniques
  • Familiarity with HPC, scaling, and optimization strategies

Compensation:

  • Compensation range for this position is $20-$25, commensurate with experience and qualifications

Apply Today!

Please send a brief (no longer than 2-page) CV or resume to Professor Emanuel Gull at egull@umich.edu with subject, “Fall 2020 Project Research Assistant Position”.

Jun 26
0

What is the right model? Different MRIO models yield very different carbon footprints estimates in China

By | Research

Appropriate accounting of greenhouse gas emissions is the first step to assign mitigation responsibilities and develop effective mitigation strategies. Consistent methods are required to fairly assess a region’s impact on climate change. Two leading reasons for the existence of different accounting systems are the political pressures, and the actual costs of climate mitigation to local governments. At the international level there has been consensus, and global environmentally extended multi-regional input-output (EE-MRIO) models that capture the interdependence of and their environmental impacts have been constructed.  However in China, the largest greenhouse gas emitter, where accurate interregional trade-related emission accounts are critical to develop mitigation strategies and monitor progresses at the regional level, this information is sporadic and inconsistent. Prof. Ming Xu from the School of Environment and Sustainability, and his research group, analyzed the available data from China, which dates back to 2012. They showed that the results varied wildly depending on the MRIO model used. For example, they found two MRIO models differed as much as 208 metric tons in a single region, which is equivalent to the emissions of Argentina, United Arab Emirates, or the Netherlands. Their results show the need to prioritize future efforts to harmonize greenhouse gas emissions accounting within China.

Ming Xu is an Associate Professor in the School for Environment and Sustainability and in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His research focuses on the broad fields of sustainable engineering and industrial ecology. 

Read the full article.

Jun 04
0

Modeling the transmission of infectious aerosols

By | Feature, Research

Inhalation of micron-sized droplets represents the dominant transmission mechanism for influenza and rhinovirus, and recent research shows that it is likely also the case for the novel coronavirus.  Increasing evidence suggests that the transmission of infectious aerosols is more complex than previously thought. Coughing, sneezing and even talking yield a gaseous flow field near the infected person that is dynamic and turbulent in nature. Existing models commonly employed in simulations of aerosol transmission attempt to represent the effect of turbulence using random walk models that are often phenomenological in nature, employing adjustable parameters and inherently assuming the turbulent fluctuations ‘felt’ by a droplet do not depend upon direction. To design physics-informed guidelines to minimize the spread of this virus, improved predictive modeling capabilities for effectively tracking the aerosol paths are needed. Dr. Aaron M. Lattanzi and Prof. Jesse Capecelatro, from Mechanical Engineering and MICDE are tackling this problem by focusing on mathematical modeling of aerosol dispersion. They derived analytical solutions for the mean-squared-displacement resulting from systems of stochastic differential equations. A key element of their methodology is that the solution connects stochastic theory inputs to statistics present in high-fidelity simulations or experiments, providing a framework for developing improved models.

Simple simulation of aerosol dispersion from a single-point source. The grey, cone-like surface is the approximation using Force Langevin (FL) theory and the colored particles are from integration of Newton’s equations with stochastic drag forces.

Prof. Capecelatro’s research group develops physics-based models and numerical algorithms to leverage supercomputers for prediction and optimization of the complex flows relevant to energy and the environment. The main focus of their research involves developing robust and scalable numerical tools to investigate the multiphysics and multiscale phenomena under various flow conditions, like those that they study here. They recently submitted their findings to the Journal of Fluid Mechanics, and are continuing to work on this problem hoping it will help understand the transmission of COVID-19 and therefore help optimize current guidelines.