ISSUE 104 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2009 CONTENTS
LEADER
CONTENTS
Predictable reactions
As this article is being written, bad
weather has paralysed most of the
UK as the British once again are
surprised to discover that it can be
cold and snowy during the winter.
To be fair, however, the fall of snow
that has disrupted communications
and normal business was accurately
forecast by the UK’s Meteorological
LIMS fi ght crime 16 Optical software make pilots’ jobs easier 20
Offi ce. The diffi culty was in mounting
an effective response.
NEWS 4 FEATURES
By a coincidence of timing, two
Roman warrior restored by computer; LIMS Earth science and human impact 12
and SAP certifi cation; Personal treatment
Felix Grant explores how scientifi c computing
articles in this issue of Scientifi c
for Alzheimer’s
saves lives in environmental disasters
Computing World have as their
Criminal investigations 16
themes predicting and responding to
PEOPLE
Greg Blackman looks at the role of
environmental events. On page 34,
LIMS in forensic science laboratories
Profi le 8
Gemma Church gives us a snapshot
Dietmar Maringer
Illuminating optics 20
of how researchers are using high-
Paul Schreier sees the light in optical
Professor of
modelling software
performance computing to model
computational
changes in the earth’s climate,
management sciences, NEW PRODUCTS 39
University of Basel
focusing particularly on changes in the
INSIDE VIEW
ice sheets and glaciers. Felix Grant,
Trevor Heritage, president, Symyx Corporation 42
on page 12, discusses how computer
modelling can mitigate the human
HPC PROJECTS impact of environmental disasters.
A section for users and managers of NEW
In the aftermath of man-made or
HPC systems in science and engineering
h
HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING
p c
natural disasters, the application of
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2009
HPC News 26 Weathering well 34
ISSUE 4 laboratory information management
PROJECT
S
GPUs go from
gaming to
affor
The latest news in high- Better climate and
dable HPC
systems (LIMS) to forensic science
Why Warsaw
hea
performance computing weather predictions need
ds the
Green Top 500
can help with the identifi cation of
supercomputing. Gemma
HPC Products 28
victims, as well as in the more routine
Church reports
fi ght against crime, as Greg Blackman
A supercomputer chip
HPC Director 37 reports on page 16.
for everyone 30
Marek Niezgódka, Director
Paul Schreier looks at the
W
On a lighter note (if readers will
of the ICM Centre at the
eather
wise
Supercompu
irresistible rise of the GPU
ting helps
exc
University of Warsaw
model climate
change
use the dreadful pun), Paul
FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF
SCIENTIFIC
COMPUTING
WORLD
Schreier writes about how optical
modelling software is furthering the
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he notes how GPU chips – originally
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www.scientifi
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