Connections
with the Cornell
Theory Center
The Cornell Theory Center (CTC)(http://www.tc.cornell.edu), directed by CS Professor Thomas Coleman, is Cornell’s high-performance computing and interdisciplinary computational-research center, serving more than 150 faculty research groups across the Ithaca campus and at the Weill Medical College in New York City.
Through a strategic partnership with Microsoft, Dell,
and Intel, CTC has pioneered the use of industry-standard
computational clusters running Windows™
as a productive large-scale computing environment.
CTC’s resources, which consist of a cluster complex
of more than 1,500 processors, keep Cornell at the
forefront of computational science and engineering.
New technological advances include the integration
of the database software SQLserver into complex
engineering applications and the application of .NET
and Web services to high-performance computing.
CTC operates the first Windows/Dell/Intel–based
CAVE 3-D immersive virtual-reality environment,
which is used by a variety of projects, including
an engineering design course and an architecture
course. Students in CEE 479 and M&AE 491 have
access to EduCluster, a 16-processor cluster
dedicated to student applications.
CTC has three core interdisciplinary research
emphases: computational finance, computational
biology/genomics, and computational materials.
The computational finance group (http://www.
ctc-manhattan.com/Research/index.asp) is headed by
CTC director Thomas Coleman and includes CS research
associate Yuying Li. Projects include investigating
new optimization algorithms for large-scale portfolio
analysis and value-at-risk calculations. Much of
CTC’s computational-finance work takes place at
CTC–Manhattan, which is located across from the
New York Stock Exchange and is the site of an
annual securities derivatives conference.
CTC’s Computational Biology Service Unit (CBSU)
(http://cbsu.tc.cornell.edu), headed by CS professor
Ron Elber, applies computational resources and
expertise to a variety of applications in the life
sciences, ranging from canine genetics to plant
breeding to protein-structure modeling. Each summer
one or two undergraduates are chosen from a pool
of applicants for the CBSU Undergraduate Summer
Internship. Through this internship, undergrads
conduct research under the guidance of a faculty
advisor and in collaboration with CBSU staff.
One of the 2003 CBSU Internships was awarded
to Keith Jamison, a CS junior.
The Computational Materials Institute at CTC focuses
on fracture mechanics and serves as one of the test
beds for the adaptive software project led by CS
professor Keshav Pingali, who is also a CTC associate
director. The adaptive software project is developing
software systems that can adapt to changes at the
application, algorithmic, and system levels.
CS professor Johannes Gehrke is also involved in
interdisciplinary CTC projects. He is applying his
data-mining expertise to a pilot project involving data
acquisition and analysis using the Cornell-operated
Arecibo radiotelescope and to a genomics database
that tracks pathogens.
CTC has done pioneering work in science
communication, outreach, and informal education
through its Virtual Worlds SciCentr, which consists
of a series of multi-user virtual environments. This
project has engaged several interdisciplinary teams of
undergraduate programmers, designers, and content
developers in the creation of interactive exhibits, as
well as undergraduate mentors who support teams of
high school student developers at remote locations.
A number of team members come from Computer
Science. SciCentr brings CTC into interaction with
research scientists and faculty in the fields of
biotechnology, communication, fine arts, theatre
arts, music, and architecture. CTC is also engaging
undergraduates in development of interactive online
lab modules focused on bioinformatics through the
BioQUEST Curriculum Library.
For further information, see http://www.tc.cornell.edu.