[CIG-ALL] CIG News - April 2006

[Cassie Ferguson]

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             CIG News
         April, 2005
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Software Development & Releases

CIG Software Releases

1. GALE Alpha Release v. 0.2.0. GALE, (Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian) 
sofware for the long-term tectonics community, is now available as an 
alpha release. The code solves problems related to orogenesis, rifting, 
and subduction with coupling to surface erosion models, and can be found 
at: http://www.geodynamics.org:8080/cig/software/packages/gale

2. LithoMop Alpha Release v. 0.7.2. LithoMop is a finite element code 
for the solution of visco-elastic/plastic deformation that was designed 
for lithospheric modeling problems. This release is a complete revision 
of an earlier code named Tecton that was rewritten to incorporate 
Python/Pyre. This release includes a new build procedure for easier 
installation on uniprocessor workstations.
http://www.geodynamics.org:8080/cig/software/packages/lithomop

Non-CIG Software Releases

1. ellipsis3d Release v 1.0.0. ellipsis3d is a three-dimensional version 
of the particle-in-cell finite element code ellipsis, a solid modeling 
code used to simulate visco-elastoplastic materials. The 
particle-in-cell method combines the strengths of the Lagrangian and 
Eulerian formulations of mechanics while bypassing their limitations.
http://www.geodynamics.org:8080/cig/software/packages/ellipsis3d

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CIG Development Priorities. CIG posts its latest development priorities 
on the Geodynamics.org website. This feature provides information about 
the availability of new software with our best estimate of release dates.
http://www.geodynamics.org:8080/cig/priorities

Input Sought for Strategic Plan. The CIG Science Steering Committee 
(SSC) has begun work on updating the CIG Strategic Plan. Please submit 
suggestions for the new plan to the members of the SSC before their May 
18-19 meeting in Pasadena.
The current strategic plan can be found at: 
http://www.geodynamics.org:8080/cig/proposalsndocs/documents/CIGplan.pdf/file_view
The members of the SSC are listed at: 
http://www.geodynamics.org:8080/cig/people/ssc

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Workshop Report

1. Summary Report for the 2006 Purdue Workshop for Compressible Mantle 
Convection. A report in now available from the March 27-28 workshop, 
including accomplishments, planned activities and recommendations to 
CIG. Members of the community are invited to login and comment via the 
website. Also, all the workshop presentations are available on the 
website as PDF files.
http://www.geodynamics.org:8080/cig/workinggroups/mc/mcworkshops/workshop2006

Workshops & Training Sessions

1. June 26-30. Fault Systems and Tectonic Modeling, co-sponsored by 
SCEC, NASA, NSF and CIG. The focus will be on the science associated 
with simulating pre- and post-seismic crustal deformation and training 
researchers in the use and customization of PyLith and GeoFest, a JPL 
code for crustal deformation. Golden, Colorado on the campus of the 
Colorado School of Mines. Please contact: Mark Simons 
<simons at caltech.edu> or Carl Gable <gable at lanl.gov>. Discounted hotel 
registration ends May 25. Register at 
http://www.geodynamics.org:8080/cig/workinggroups/eq/workshops/announce

2. July 9-14. Studies of Earth's Deep Interior (SEDI). An informal 
discussion of community geodynamo codes under the CIG umbrella is 
planned. Prague, Czech Republic. Please contact: Peter Olson <olson at jhu.edu>

3. July 16-Aug 04. CIDER Workshop. CIG training session for mantle 
dynamics to be held as part of the CIDER workshop to be held at the 
Kavli Institute of Theoretical Physics in Santa Barbara. Please contact: 
  Peter van Keken <keken at umich.edu>

4. August 2006. Magma Migration Workshop. The workshop addresses 
community needs and priorities for software development in magma 
dynamics. LDEO, Columbia University, New York. Please contact: Marc 
Spiegelman <mspieg at ldeo.columbia.edu> or Laurent Montesi <lmontesi at whoi.edu>

5. August 5-12. GALE Training. A training session for GALE will be held 
as part of the ISES summer program at Colorado College in Colorado 
Springs. For GALE-specific information, please contact:  Walter Landry 
<walter at geodynamics.org>. For workshop information, please visit
http://acad.coloradocollege.edu/dept/gy/ises/ISESSummerProgram.php

6. October 16-17. Scientific Computing Workshop. The workshop, designed 
to bring together mathematicians, computational scientists and 
geoscientists, will address meshing, solvers, graphics, and other common 
issues in computational geophysics. Austin, Texas. Please contact 
members of the steering committee: Wolfgang Bangerth 
<bangerth at math.tamu.edu>,Omar Ghattas <omar at ices.utexas.edu>, or Brad 
Aagaard <baagaard at usgs.gov>
http://www.geodynamics.org:8080/cig/workinggroups/cs/workshops/announcement

7. Fall 2006. Imaging Science and CIG Computational Seismology Workshop. 
Please contact: Alan Levander <alan at mail.mail.rice.edu>
http://www.geodynamics.org:8080/cig/events/ISCC

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Committees, Staff, Etc.

Request for Nominations. A nominating committee including Bill Appelbe, 
Wolfgang Bangerth and Carolina Lithgow-Bertelloni has been charged with 
finding candidates to fill the upcoming openings on the CIG Science 
Steering Committee (2) and the CIG Executive Committee (1). Please send 
your  nomination suggestions and other recommendations to the committee 
<nominations at geodynanamics.org>

New CIG Institutional Members. CIG welcomes its newest Institutional 
Members, the Colorado School of Mines, Cornell University, and the State 
University of New York at Buffalo. In addidtion the CIG has a new 
Foreign Affiliate, the University of Science and Technology of China. A 
complete list of Institutional Members and Foreign affiliates can be 
found at http://www.geodynamics.org:8080/cig/institution/

Institutional Member Representative Rotation. Existing Institutional 
Members with more than one researcher involved with CIG should consider 
switching representatives from time to time to ensure a  healthy balance 
of input and decision making. If your institution  would like to change 
member representatives, please send an e-mail to <ariel at geodynamics.org>.

New Staff. Eh Tan, who will receive his PhD in geophysics from Caltech 
this spring, will be joining CIG as a software developer in July.

CIG currently has an opening for a software engineer, please see
http://www.geodynamics.org:8080/cig/positions/

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Who to contact:

CIG Administration, contracts, travel, etc.
Ariel Shoresh: (626) 395-1699
ariel at geodynamics.org

Equation solvers (PETSc) & PyLith development.
Matt Kepley: knepley at mcs.anl.gov

SVN software repository & GALE development.
Walter Landry: (626) 395-4621
walter at geodynamics.org

Benchmark problems, visualization & CitCom.
Luis Armendariz: (626) 395-1695
luis at geodynamics.org

Build procedure & computational seismology.
Leif Strand: (626) 395-1697
leif at geodynamics.org

Web site and user manuals:
Cassie Ferguson: (626) 395-1694
cassie at geodynamics.org

Software architecture & Pyre framework
Michael Aivazis: (626) 395-1696
aivazis at caltech.edu

Administration:
Mike Gurnis: (626) 395-1698
gurnis at caltech.edu

Science Steering Committee, contact Chairman
Marc Parmentier (Brown U.)
em_parmentier at brown.edu

Executive Committee, contact Chairman
Mark Richards (Berkeley)
markr at seismo.berkeley.edu