Computational Science

What do computational scientists do?

Computational scientists do research in all of the branches of science; astronomy, biology, chemistry, dermatology, earth science, forestry, geology… They help explain scientific process to doctors, lawyers, politicians, teachers, students, the press, civil servants, industry…. They visualize the data and predictions using Excel graphs, 3D animations, virtual reality… They use technology ranging from pocket calculators to supercomputers.

Like other scientists computational scientist typically start with a question. For example, "How much carbon dioxide does a forest sequester as it grows for 200 years?" Over the years other scientists have measured the carbon dioxide in different size trees and the soil in forests. The computational scientists gather this information and formulas. The computational scientist uses this information to create a computer model of the carbon that is stored in different parts of the forest.

The computational scientist uses the model to try different kinds of experiments like:

Computational Scientists usually work with teams of specialists. The forest team might consist of a chemist, forester, a soil specialist, an environmentalist, and a computer programmer.

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5. computational
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2. observational
1. introduction

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