Grant funds simulation & modeling study at Youngstown firm

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Aug 23, 2010) — 

The Ohio Supercomputer Center has received a $300,000 federal grant to work with a ceramics manufacturer and university experts to apply advanced modeling and simulation to the company’s operations as a way to boost its competitive advantage.

The Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC) recently received the National Science Foundation (NSF) funding to collaborate with Fireline TCON Inc. and the Center for Excellence in Advanced Materials Analysis at Youngstown State University. The grant from the NSF’s Early-Concept Grants for Exploratory Research program funds a Manufacturing Modeling, Simulation and Data Analysis Discovery project to spur computational science and cyberinfrastructure research through the center’s interactions with industry.

“Manufacturing competitiveness is a critical U.S. national interest that can benefit greatly from advanced virtual prototyping, supported by high-performance computing and related cyberinfrastructure,” said David Hudak, OSC’s program director for cyberinfrastructure and software development and the primary investigator for the award.

“Through this partnership, we will design improved modeling tools for high performance light-weight materials that have multiple applications, including body armor and braking systems. We also will investigate the technical transfer activities that occur in creating cyber-enabled modeling capabilities for small- and medium-sized companies.”

The three grant partners have been working together on research, analyses, modeling and commercialization of ceramic products since receiving a 2008 Third Frontier Commission award from the State of Ohio.

OSC has been a leader in the trend of extending advanced modeling and simulation technologies to industrial partners since launching their Blue Collar Computing program in 2004. Industries participating in OSC’s widely recognized industrial outreach program leverage these technologies to reduce the time and expense involved in designing new products and to improve production efficiency. Participants also employ custom-designed web portals to gain secure, easy access to processing power and mass storage systems, without the need for in-house infrastructure or computational science expertise.

The National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois and the Information Sciences Institute at the University of Southern California received similar EAGER grants and will study the use of computational science within other segments of industry.

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The Ohio Supercomputer Center is a catalytic partner of Ohio universities and industries that provides a reliable high performance computing infrastructure for a diverse statewide/regional community. OSC promotes and stimulates computational research and education in order to act as a key enabler for the state's aspirations in advanced technology, information systems, and advanced industries. For additional information, visit http://www.osc.edu

 

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