Speaker: Dr. David Womble, Sandia National Labs

Abstract: Computational simulation is playing an increasingly important role in industry and laboratories as we seek to engineer new products at the micro and nano scales, improve product performance, efficiency and reliability, and reduce the cost of design, manufacturing and testing Computational simulation is a unique blend of engineering, mathematics and computer science. In this talk, we will take a whirlwind tour through the mathematical and computer science foundations and challenges of computational science. We will use the problem of calculating the thermal response of a mechanical system in a fire to illustrate the challenges.