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| Project Title | SD2Parallel, Systems Dynamics Applications Scaling on Parallel Systems |
| Summary | The intern would join an existing project, SD2Parallel, part of the Modelware2Middleware initiative. The project involves taking existing code to solve Systems Dynamics style problems (e.g. Stella or VenSim), continuing development of an abstraction language to describe such models (SDML, Systems Dynamics Markup Language), and developing scalable tools to explore large parameter space solutions and optimizations of SD models. |
| Job Description | Systems Dynamics tools have made creating simple numerical models easy for a large user base of scientists who traditionally do not learn computer programming, let alone the use of HPC tools. This project seeks to explore the ways in which those users can be allowed to move their modelware-built solutions to scaleable systems (i.e. shared memory workstations and distributed memory clusters). The project centers around a set of tools for abstracting existing systems dynamics models in a number of packages into an XML compliant language as well as tools for evaluating those models. The intern will help to develop a set of web based tools, based off of the existing VenSim2Java website, to translate SD models into SDML. The intern will help to develop a set of code libraries in Java and C/C++ to read, write, modify, and evaluate SDML models. The intern will extend the SDML standard to include language elements for parameter space study and optimization of one variable with respect to one or more other variables. The intern will create applications for parallel systems to perform parameter space study and optimization, incorporating an existing code library for scalable non-linear stochastic optimization. The intern will investigate methods of visualizing and interpreting results of massive multi-dimensional parameter space studies and optimization, and will incorporate all of these into a web-based application for end-users. |
| Conditions/Qualifications | The applicant should have knowledge of or be willing to learn a systems dynamics package (e.g. Stella or Vensim), programming languages for text manipulation (e.g. PERL), Java, C/C++, MPI, and OpenMP. Additionally, the applicant should be comfortable with or willing to learn how to use linux-based computer systems. The applicant should have at least 2 semesters of Calculus and at least 1 semester of computer programming. |
| Start Date | 06/01/2011 |
| End Date | 05/01/2012 |
| Location | Kean University, Union, New Jersey |
| Interns | Roger Garcia
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