NCAR's
Mesa Laboratory is one of several tourist meccas in and
around the Boulder area. In addition to presenting a stunning
architectural counterpoint to the majestic Flatiron rock formations
just west of Boulder, it also houses a unique collection of
visitor exhibits designed to highlight the role and mission of this
national research center.
During an average year, about 12,000
people from around the country visit NCAR and tour the facility.
All of them are interested in viewing and learning more about the
Scientific Computing Division's collection of supercomputers, data archives, networking and communications apparatus, and other aspects of SCD's
ability to further world-class research in the atmospheric and
related sciences.
Major renovation
In
keeping with the need to provide visitors to the Mesa Lab with
information about SCD's role, we recently completed a major renovation
to the SCD portion of the NCAR computer room viewing area.
Four large
panel displays (backlit for visual impact) depict in colorful graphics
and tight narrative the "formula" for conducting atmospheric research,
SCD-style: Big Iron + Big Data + Big Networks = Big Science. Each of
the four elements of the formula represent an individual display panel.
Written for lay audiences, each panel explains what is involved in
contributing to the overall effort behind scientific computing: providing
the high-performance infrastructure necessary to foster scientific
inquiry into our planet's climate systems.
Other projects
The
display panels are just the first of several new areas SCD is
developing to provide important public relations and educational venues
for folks who take the time to visit the center.
Slated for unveiling
in the near future are a memorial to the late Seymour Cray (opposite the
CRAY-1A near the south end of SCD's first basement level) and a series
of niches along the corridor leading to SCD staff offices detailing
the organization and activities of SCD proper.
Finally, a large
wall-size display covering the History of High-Performance Computing
at NCAR is being developed to help visitors understand the technological
effort required to keep up with the demands of atmospheric scientists
pursuing their research.
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