e-Science challenges in Astronomy and Astrophysics
A/Prof Jarrod Hurley, Swinburne University of Technology
jhurley@swin.edu.au

The astronomical community is intricately linked with e-Science by the nature of the research conducted. Efforts to formalise this relationship are highlighted by the creation of Virtual Observatory (VO) networks both locally (AusVO) and internationally (the US-based NVO, for example). The goal of these networks is to present astronomical archives as an integrated and interoperating virtual observatory, as well as to develop and deploy the tools necessary for international utilisation of the archives. This has resulted in a set of data standards being published by the International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA). While much has been achieved, the VO networks can still be considered a fledgling industry in some sense as there are still many challenges to be met, especially as we move towards peta-scale data-sets. Furthermore, e-Science has now moved beyond the management of observational data to broadly encompass all computationally intensive areas of astronomy and astrophysics. The focus of the workshop will be on e-Science challenges within astronomy and astrophysics, the innovations that these challenges are producing now and the innovations that will be required in the near future. Broadly speaking this covers the creation, processing and visualization of data (via either computation or observation), which in turn relates to data-management and accessibility (and, by extension, the VO).

http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/escience2010astro/

Computational Science and Engineering Workshop
A/Prof Karen Haines, University of Western Australia
karen@wasp.uwa.edu.au

Computational Science and Engineering is the area of scientific research that merges science, mathematics, and computing to produce computer models and simulations that allow users to study complex and challenging scientific behavior. There are a growing number of challenges that computational code developers face in today’s computational climate. The complexity of the science and mathematics coupled with heterogeneous computer architectures with inadequate program development tools complicates software development. New processing hardware poses the need to re‐think algorithms in terms of massively, probably asynchronous, parallelization schemes. The aging legacy libraries on which most science user driven requirements are dependent are long overdue for replacement with software suitable to handle today’s more multifaceted computer architectures. To adapt to the current generation of kilo‐core processing, new algorithms, software designs and advanced parallel programming techniques need to be developed. Consequentially, the code development process is difficult. This workshop is aimed at bringing together computational scientists and engineers of different disciplines to discuss new issues, tackle complex problems and find advanced solutions propagating new trends in Computational Science. This will afford the opportunity to enable closer cooperation between computational modelers to share results attained from model developments and applications.

Click to download further details on Submissions for this workshop

High-Performance Computing in the Life Sciences
A/Prof Matthew Smith, Leibniz University of Hannover
smith@dsec.uni-hannover.de

Today, there are a variety of parallel and distributed high-performance computing platforms including multi-core architectures, GPGPUs/GPUs, clusters, grids, and clouds that, together with new programming paradigms such as MapReduce and Many Task Computing, offer a wide range of possibilities for solving compute- and data-intensive problems in an efficient manner. The purpose of this workshop is to provide the opportunity for participants to discuss and share the latest research in parallel and distributed high performance computing systems applied to problems in the Life Sciences, i.e. all fields of science that involve the scientific study of living organisms, such as biology, biochemistry, biophysics, botany, ecology, food science, medicine, medical imaging, neuroscience, pharmacology, physiology, systems biology, and zoology. 

Click to download further details on Submissions for this workshop

Parallel Optimisation and Parameter Fitting
Dr Sanaz Mostaghim, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
sanaz.mostaghim@kit.edu

This workshop focuses on the design and application of optimisation algorithms to real problems in computational science. Emphasis is placed on algorithms and methods that are particularly suited to parallel and distributed computing environments, such as Grids, Peer-to-Peer Networks, Multi-Core systems, GPGPU and Cloud Computing, due to the practical needs of many of the target problems. In addition, we are interested in optimization problem solving by evolutionary approaches or hybrid evolutionary approaches. The workshop will consider practical implementations, including all aspects from user interface design and details of optimisation methods to system architecture and access to resources. Discussion of applications will also address the power and usefulness of these methods for optimisation and parameter fitting of real-world problems in areas such as Arts, Humanities and e-Social Science, Bioinformatics and Health, Physical Sciences and Engineering, and Climate and Earth Sciences.

Click to download further details on Submissions for this workshop

Exploring the Legal and Policy Aspects of Accessing and Making Use of Scientific Knowledge and Information
Prof Anne Fitzgerald, Queensland University of Technology
am.fitzgerald@qut.edu.au

In recent years, e-Science, and e-Research more generally, has grown considerably and the scope of application now covers research domains from science and engineering through to the arts and humanities and the social sciences. This workshop will explore the legal and policy aspects of accessing and making use of scientific knowledge and information. Its focus will be the steps that are being taken, and will need to be taken in the future, to better enable scientific data to be shared, used and reused.  In this session, we shall discuss open access regimes that might feasibly form the basis of policy frameworks for allowing public access and use of public escort information, and allowing better access to publicly funded research. We shall also discuss the various aspects of usability and user-centred design that have emerged from e-Science and related Web 2.0 research projects. We hope to identify ways in which e-Science tools and techniques can be developed with the aim of involving experts within the community whose skills can be drawn upon.