The Third Pillar of Science: Scientific Computing
The methods of scientific computing - mathematical modeling, simulation and optimization, image & data processing, visualization - have become key technologies for solving scientific and technical problems. Fuel cell design, chemical plant control optimization, tumor diagnostics - its methods are applied everywhere. Not surprising, scientific computing, along with theory and experiment, is considered the third methodical approach in science.
Heidelberg University recognized this trend already 20 years ago with the foundation of IWR in order to promote the methods of scientific computing. In its early days the focus was on mathematics, physics, chemistry and informatics; later life sciences were included. Nowadays, the methods of scientific computing are long since indispensable in all these disciplines, but their range of applications is extending towards areas such as economics, social sciences, psychology and even humanities or cognitive sciences. This already depicts the enormous potential of scientific computing as an emerging cross-section discipline for the future - and the fundamental methods necessary for science and industry ten years from now are yet to be developed! As these methods became increasingly important, so did IWR. Nowadays it comprises almost 40 research teams from eight faculties and twelve junior research groups. 600 scientists work together in interdisciplinary cooperation projects, and more than three quarters of its staff is financed by research grants. Scientists can take advantage of IWRs excellent infrastructure, comprising high-performance computers, 3-D-graphic laboratories/scanners, but the most important part is the unique potential of interdisciplinary expertise within the minds of IWR-members.
The uniting power of algorithms
IWR is especially proud of its success in the "Excellence Initiative". Within the framework of this program, IWR was granted one of the 39 national graduate schools, meaning an annual 1,2 Mio. Euro extra-funding to promote young scientists. The "Heidelberg Graduate School of Mathematical and Computational Methods for the Sciences (HGS)" with its 140 doctoral students from all disciplines represented at IWR is an internationally unique school within this range of scientific institutions. IWR and HGS are part of an international and closely-knit network of excellent partner institutions, ranging from Stanford University in the west to Tsinghua University in the east. Close cooperation also exists between IWR and industry which co-finances fundamental investigations in order to develop future methods needed for industry and a prosperous economy. An outstanding example is the biggest German center for image processing "Heidelberg Collaboratory for Image Processing (HCI)" with industry partners. Fundamental research for optimization of experiments financed by BASF, for example, aims at saving 80% of costs and time while offering improved results. These projects are part of the university concept "industry on campus" which is geared to promote research cooperation between university and industry. Numerous examples show that the methods of scientific computing are extremely useful for building bridges between the different disciplines within Heidelberg university, promoting an interdisciplinary culture of investigation, thus offering an important help to implement the university's future concept. Since the 90ies, IWR had a leading position in establishing successful collaborative research centers (Sonderforschungsbereiche, SFB), and its interdisciplinary cooperation culminated in renowned projects like BioQuant, BIOMS, ViroQuant and SBCancer, which nowadays characterize the image of the molecular biosciences of the university. Apart from these activities, IWR is building a scientific bridge over the Neckar river that separates the natural sciences located at Neuenheimer Feld from the humanities of the university located in the old town, by promoting the "IWR pioneering projects". These programs focus on the development of new methods to support the solution of problems in the field of psychology, cultural and social studies. No doubt, this will help the university to strengthen internationally its cutting-edge position in the new research field "scientific computing in the humanities" internationally.
Outlook
Scientific computing and its methods are just spreading their wings - the data flood generated by biosciences as well as by humanities makes new procedures for analysis and processing absolutely necessary. Success generates an increased desire for ever more versatile, faster methods allowing even higher performance. The models applied today, often simplified and only approximate, have to be replaced by carefully calibrated, more detailed ones that consider all important aspects. The next generation of simulation and optimization methods is expected to create optimum solutions based on preset criteria from a simulated, virtual physical environment, which are immediately applicable to reality.
