Issue 119 August/September 2011 CONTENTS
Modelling and Engineering News and products
Cover feature: Simulating silence
Paul Schreier reports on the software acoustic engineers are taking advantage of in designing quiet vehicles
Laboratory and Statistical Science News and products
Informatics under the microscope
Beth Sharp speaks to informatics providers on the requirements forensic laboratories are placing on their software
High-Performance Computing News and products
Only qualified applicants need apply
Industry professionals offer their thoughts on recruitment in the HPC sector
True plug-in storage
Paul Schreier investigates the approaches taken by HPC system operators in adding the storage needed for their applications
Resources Diary dates
Suppliers’ directory Inside view
Cycle Computing’s Dave Powers tackles the question of the cloud
44 45 46
40
33 36
10 13
4 6
Statistics supplement
Bringing technology to life
Felix Grant on the data analysis involved in developing a new generation of prostheses
Interview:
Statistically speaking Statistical models play a fundamental role in scientifi c discovery, as Professor Mark Girolami, chair of statistics at University College London, explains
Interview: 22
Welcome to the revolution The computer has revolutionised statistics, says David Hand, professor of statistics at Imperial College London
Case studies: Case in point
Felix Grant examines some of the many applications of statistical software
Reviews: In review
Felix Grant reviews some of the latest statistical software packages available
Products 31 28 24 20 18 Stats power
In this issue, we’re talking all things stats with a special supplement on statistical software and its power in scientifi c investigation. In his interview on page 22, David Hand, professor of statistics at Imperial College London, remarks on the signifi cance computing has brought to the fi eld of statistics, shifting the emphasis from simply doing the maths to revealing the underlying meaning of the data. Designing better prostheses that mimic the limbs they’re replacing is one area where analytical software is advancing our understanding, as Felix Grant explains on page 18. Grant also sheds light on the statistics involved in studies into dyslexia, drought tolerance in the chickpea, mapping herring populations, and many other applications (page 24), as well as reviewing some of the latest stats software packages (page 28). Elsewhere in this issue, Paul Schreier
looks at modelling the acoustics of automobiles on page 6, while Beth Sharp discovers how informatics packages are helping forensics labs meet demands in regulation compliance and laboratory throughput on page 13. The HPC article on page 36 garners views from industry professionals on the sometimes tricky task of recruiting in the HPC sector. Finally, don’t forget to subscribe to
our e-mail newsletters, SCNewsline and HPCNewsline, for monthly news updates. Visit:
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Greg Blackman
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Cover montage by Dan Taylor
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