SPARC Events
SPARC events bring together U-M faculty, LANL scientists, and students to exchange ideas, launch projects, and grow collaborations in computational science and engineering.
Upcoming Events
SPARC Exchange
When: Weekly on Wednesdays at 4:00 pm (tea time at 3:30 pm)
Where: 3520 Green Ct, Room 4425, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
SPARC Colloquia
Speaker: Dr. Alex Scheinker, Adaptive Machine Learning Team Leader, LANL
Title: Error Bars for Digital Twins: Bidirectional Diffusion Models Can Predict Their Own Rollout Errors
Location: University of Michigan, Laurie Engineering Center Room 3213BC
Date & Time: Thursday October 15th, 3:00-4:00PM
Speaker: Dr. Chinedum Okwudire, Director, University of Michigan Advanced Manufacturing Institute, U-M
Title: TBD
Location: LANL, JRO Library Center, Jemez Cochiti Room
Date & Time: Monday November 16th, 2:00-3:30 PM
Speaker: Dr. Sara Del Valle, Global Security, Chief Scientist, LANL
Title: TBD
Location: Laurie Engineering Center Room 3213BC
Date & Time: Monday December 7th, 2:00-3:00 PM
SPARC Workshops
Quantum Computing Collaboration Workshop
Location: U-M/LANL
Date: October 19-21
Description: This workshop will bring together researchers in quantum computing and quantum information science to discuss emerging directions in quantum algorithms, quantum machine learning, quantum architectures, optimization, quantum communication, sensing, and information-theoretic foundations. Emphasis will be placed on identifying cross-cutting challenges at the interface of theory, algorithms, and new applications of quantum information processing. The roundtable and white-paper sessions will aim to define collaborative research directions connecting University of Michigan and Los Alamos expertise.
Ongoing Programs
SPARC Exchange
When: Every Wednesday
Where: 3520 Green Ct, Room 4425, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
A weekly informal gathering for social connection and technical exchange between U-M and LANL SPARC collaborators. Open to students, postdocs, and faculty.
Each session is divided into two parts:
3:30 PM – Tea Time: A relaxed, social hour with refreshments.
4:00 PM – Idea Exchange: Rotating formats including research updates, tutorials, journal clubs, and guest speakers. Focused on student engagement, but faculty are encouraged to join and contribute.
Have a topic suggestion? Reach out via email to [email protected].
SPARC Colloquium
When: Monthly, typically during the Wednesday SPARC Exchange time slot
Where: 3520 Green Ct, Room 4425, Ann Arbor, MI 48105 (hybrid format)
The SPARC Colloquium is a hybrid seminar featuring rotating speakers from LANL and U-M. Talks cover active or emerging areas of collaboration and are open to the broader community.
SPARC Workshops
SPARC Workshops bring LANL scientists to Ann Arbor for in-depth meetings with U-M faculty. These workshops are designed to scope new projects, explore synergies, and kick off collaborative research efforts.
Upcoming workshop details will be shared through the SPARC mailing list and at SPARC Exchange sessions.
Past Events
SPARC Colloquia
September 15, 2026 – The Magnetic Universe: From Black Hole Jets to Space Propulsion
Hui Li (LANL, Nuclear and Particle Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology)
May 5, 2026 – The high-fidelity simulation of multi-physics turbulent flows
Krishnan Mahesh (U-M, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering)
March 3, 2026 – Foundation Models for Discovery and Exploration in Chemical Spac
Venkat Viswanathan (U-M, Aerospace Engineering)
February 25, 2026 – Mesoscale Investigation of Dislocation-Grain Boundary Interactions in Metals and Alloys
Abigail Hunter (LANL, Materials and Physical Data Group)
December 2, 2025 – Universality of the Collective Dynamics of Liquids at and away from Equilibrium— An Integrated Neutron Scattering, Theoretical, and Computational Study
YZ (U-M, Nuclear Engineering & Radiological Sciences)
September 10, 2025 – Multi-fidelity uncertainty quantification: sampling, surrogates, and applications
Alex Gorodetsky (U-M, Aerospace Engineering)
May 21, 2025 – 30 Years of Sailing the Seas of Simulation
Tariq Aslam (LANL, T-1)
April 9, 2025 – Multidisciplinary Optimization
Joaquim Martins (U-M, Aerospace Engineering)
March 19, 2025 – Weapons Effects
Eric Nelson (LANL, XCP-8)
February 19, 2025 – Towards Large-scale Quantum Accuracy Materials Simulations
Vikram Gavini (U-M, Mechanical Engineering)
SPARC Workshops
Earth Systems Collaboration Workshop
Date: September 9-10, 2026
High-Speed Flow Workshop
Date: August 19-21st, 2026
Space Weather Collaboration Workshop
Date: June 15 – 17, 2026
AI x Bio
Date: March 11-12, 2026
Verification of AI Surrogates
Date: September 24–25, 2025
POCs: Earl Lawrence (LANL); Karthik Duraisamy (U-M)
Structured Metals and Alloys
Date: June 23–24, 2025
POCs: Amy Clarke, Tarik Saleh (LANL); Amit Misra (U-M)
Energetic Materials
Date: April 9–11, 2025
POCs: Chris Ticknor (LANL); Rebecca Lindsey (U-M)
High-Energy-Density Physics (HEDP)
Date: February 25–26, 2025
POCs: Josh Sauppe (LANL); Carolyn Kuranz (U-M)
Computational Materials
Date: January 22–24, 2025
POCs: Sven Rudin, Jianxin Zhu (LANL); Vikram Gavini (U-M)
Genesis Mission: SPARC Domain + AI Mixer
When: Wednesday, March 25, at 3:30 pm
Where: 3520 Green Ct, Room 4425, Ann Arbor, MI 48105.