In this assignment, you will explore how high-performance computing (HPC) drives advances in a scientific domain that interests you. Perhaps you choose the swirling complexity of climate modeling, the molecular dance of computational chemistry, or the data deluge of modern genomics. Whatever domain you select, your task is to dive deeply into the literature, synthesize what you learn, and tell the story of how HPC makes breakthrough science possible.

Written Report (≈1,500 words)
You begin your narrative by defining the scientific challenge: what question drives researchers in your field, and why can’t a standard workstation answer it? In a brief Introduction of about 150 words, you will paint that picture—describing the problem and showing why raw computing power is indispensable.

Next, you lead the reader into the heart of HPC practice in your domain. In approximately 400 words under HPC Methods & Tools, describe the core algorithms, simulation codes, or data-analysis pipelines that practitioners rely on. Are there community standards—WRF for weather, GROMACS for molecular dynamics, FLASH for astrophysics? Do teams favor GPU-accelerated clusters, many-core CPUs, or specialized FPGAs? Explain not only what these tools do but how they scale across hundreds or thousands of processors.

With that technical foundation laid, turn to the drama of Challenges & Successes (≈400 words). Researchers often wrestle with scaling walls, I/O bottlenecks, or memory limits. Describe two or three case studies—stories in which HPC overcame a roadblock or delivered a discovery that was unreachable before. Perhaps you recount how exascale simulations revealed new details of hurricane formation or how petascale genome analyses uncovered rare disease markers.

Then focus on the marriage of architecture and performance. In about 300 words under Architecture & Performance, compare the hardware contenders—GPUs versus CPUs, clusters versus cloud—and show actual performance data. Include a strong-scaling plot or throughput table with a clear caption. Explain why your chosen field gravitates toward a particular architecture and what efficiency metrics matter most.

Finally, in a 250-word Conclusion & Future Directions, pull your threads together. What key insights have you uncovered about the role of HPC in your science? What open questions remain, and how might emerging trends—exascale machines or quantum accelerators—shape the next chapter?

You must cite at least five peer-reviewed or authoritative references, in IEEE style. Figures and captions do not count toward your word limit.

Guidance for Oral Presentation (10 minutes + 5 minutes Q&A)
After your written narrative is complete, you will distill it into a 10-minute oral presentation with 5 minutes for questions. Plan 8–10 slides:

  • Opening (1 min): State the scientific problem and why HPC matters.
  • Core Content (7 mins):
    • HPC Methods & Tools (2 mins)
    • Key Challenges & Successes (2 mins)
    • Architecture & Performance (3 mins)
  • Wrap-up (2 mins): Conclusions and future directions.

Keep text minimal, and rely on diagrams, plots, and bullet points.

Guidance for Written Report
Use these questions to guide you as you write:

  • Introduction: What is the central scientific question? Why can’t it be solved on a desktop?
  • Methods & Tools: Which HPC codes or libraries are standard? What parallel patterns (MPI, OpenMP, GPU kernels) are used?
  • Challenges & Successes: What scaling, I/O, or memory roadblocks have researchers faced? Which HPC-driven results changed the field?
  • Architecture & Performance: GPU vs. CPU—why? Show scaling plots or throughput metrics.
  • Conclusion & Future: What open problems could next-gen HPC tackle? How might exascale or quantum computing change the picture?

Assignment Instructions

  1. Selection: Choose topic where HPC is enabling advances in the field.
  2. Presentation Scheduling: Reserve a slot and complete the form by February 13 for a 15-minute presentation (10 minutes for presenting and 5 minutes for Q&A) on either April 17, 22, 24, or April 29, 2025.
  3. Source Material: Gather material for the report and presentation.
  4. Abstract Submission: By March 6th, submit a single-paragraph (4–6 sentences) technical abstract. Upload a PDF named abstract.pdf to this remote folder. Refer to your source materials for style and structure. (last version uploaded will be graded)
  5. Outline Submission: Submit an outline by March 26th. Upload a PDF named outline.pdf to this remote folder. (last version uploaded will be graded)
  6. Final Presentation Submission: Submit the final presentation by April 16th. The presentation should summarize the report and include references. Upload a PDF named slides.pdf to this remote folder. (last version uploaded will be graded)
  7. Final Report Submission: Submit the final report by April 16th. Upload a PDF named report.pdf to this remote folder. (last version uploaded will be graded)

Submission Requirements

Submit all materials in PDF format, adhering to the specified naming convention and deadlines.

Grading Criteria

The project is worth 100 points in total, distributed as follows:

  • Presentation Slot Signup: 2 points (Deadline: February 13)
  • Abstract Submission: 8 points (Deadline: March 6)
  • Outline Submission: 10 points (Deadline: March 26)
  • Final Presentation: 30 points (Deadline: April 16)
  • Final Report: 50 points (Deadline: April 16)

Assessment will focus on:

  • Technical Depth and Accuracy: Depth and precision of technical content.
  • Clarity and Coherence: Effectiveness in written and oral communication.
  • Creativity: Innovation in approach and presentation.
  • Critical Analysis and Synthesis: Ability to analyze and synthesize the literature.