For many researchers at the University, having a supercomputer on hand proves to be both convenient and useful.
“Mike,” the University’s resident supercomputer, became fully operational in August 2002 and currently is ranked the 11th-fastest supercomputer in the world and second among academic institutions worldwide.
Jennifer Hughes, marketing coordinator for LSU Center for Applied Information and Technology and University Relations, said the users are from several different fields, including professors from mechanical engineering, chemistry and computer science.
Randy Hall, a University chemistry professor, is one of the users. Hall is using the supercomputer to help simulate the formulation of a chemical compound used in a variety of household products.
“We’re using the computer to simulate the reactions,” Hall said.
Hall said having the supercomputer on campus gives researchers easy access, making his type of research easier.
“We would never have attempted the simulation we’re doing now without it,” Hall said.
Luis Lehner, a physics assistant professor, said researchers in his department use the computer to do large-scale simulations of Einstein’s equations.
Lehner agreed having the computer on campus makes it easier to do his type of research.
“The requirements that we need to do these equations are huge,” Lehner said. “There are very few specialized machines today that we can use.”
People do not need to be sitting near the computer to use it; rather, researchers can tap into Mike’s capabilities using a network. Hughes said this allows researchers from the University of New Orleans, McNeese State University and North Carolina to access the computer’s capabilities.