Adelphi is offering a course introducing science students to the advanced computing skills needed to analyze the incredible amount of data accumulated in large-scale experiments.
Computer programming skills are mandatory for researchers in the sciences these days, as the most challenging questions can only be solved with the help of custom software. This semester, Adelphi is offering a course introducing science students to the advanced computing skills needed to analyze the incredible amount of data accumulated in large-scale experiments. “Survey of Scientific Computing,” taught by David Biersach, a senior technology engineer at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, is helping students learn to visualize multidimensional data, evaluate optimal methods of storing and analyzing huge data sets, and develop scalable approaches to parallel computing on multi-core platforms. In doing so, it is preparing them for prized internships at world-class labs like Brookhaven.
Biersach points out that the United States has fallen behind other countries in teaching scientific computing at a time when it is needed most, a point reflected in the great number of job openings at major research laboratories across the country. He is working with Adelphi faculty to explore the possibility of adding the subject as a minor. That, he says, could lead to an outcome that Brookhaven National Labs would very much like to see — Adelphi’s becoming the first private university in New York state to offer a bachelor of science degree in scientific computing.