RCN: Community-based educational infrastructure for numerical simulation in the Earth Sciences: a reactive transport use case

GSTDTAP

项目编号	1935321
	RCN: Community-based educational infrastructure for numerical simulation in the Earth Sciences: a reactive transport use case
	Alexis Navarre-Sitchler (Principal Investigator)
主持机构	Colorado School of Mines
项目开始年	2019
	2019-09-15
项目结束日期	2024-08-31
资助机构	US-NSF
项目类别	Continuing grant
项目经费	72916(USD)
国家	美国
语种	英语
英文摘要	Across the physical sciences, many systems manifest as the result of a coupled and codependent set of chemical, mechanical and biological processes which are too complex to be solved without the assistance of numerical modeling techniques. Now more than ever, the accurate prediction of physiochemical processes such as those dictating the health of soil, the growth of crops and the quality of water is paramount to sustaining our increasing global population. Fortunately, modern advancements in computational capability are extraordinary, and recent transitions to more open-source computing platforms mean that the next decade of research will develop, employ and evaluate models faster than ever before. Thus, enhancing model literacy across all career stages is critical. Such training may indeed stand as a critical limiting step in our ability to harness the latest technological advances to address societally relevant problems, ranging from resource sustainability to the discovery of new materials. The present RCN will use the geosciences as a test bed for developing a framework for open-loop learning: the idea that education can and should be a continuous process rather than the result of having attended a University or a topical short course. In order to support a continuous educational platform for the use, development and stewardship of models, proponents will create a novel, open framework consisting of Modeling Abilities and Rubrics (MAR). The abilities and the associated rubrics will allow individuals to match and leverage resources afforded by their home institutions, those available through on-line learning and those provided by community efforts, to strengthen and expand their particular skill set and knowledge level. In addition to accelerating the adoption and use of geoscience models, the platform proponents will create can be widely generalized by other communities in the physical sciences that rely on numerical models and the associated scientific workflows to foster model literacy. Numerical Reactive Transport Models (RTMs) have become a key tool for advancing knowledge across a broad swath of the geosciences, from early diagenesis and continental weathering to contaminant fate and transport and nuclear waste storage. However, the early developers of such software have been few in comparison to the broad variety of applications and interested users, such that educational opportunities for students are unfortunately rare. This disparity also means that it is difficult for the existing community of users to stay abreast of the rapid advances in both computational approaches and workflows. To address these needs, the objective of this project is to develop a community-based educational model to enable the geoscience community to embed Reactive Transport Models (RTMs) in their scientific and educational workflows. This effort spans universities and national laboratories, all of whom are motivated to develop an integrated training platform to address a growing gap between model capabilities and the user base who can apply them. To accomplish this, proponents will serve as a platform for training and as a repository and community resource for new advancements in model frameworks. This will be accomplished through a series of activities: (1) development of an RTM-Hub that will collect and meaningfully organize materials and opportunities and present an abilities-based pedagogical framework to support an open-loop educational model, (2) development of a novel framework outlining the Modeling Abilities and Rubrics (MAR) to serve as a roadmap for personalized education, (3) enhance the educational infrastructure by leveraging existing and newly developed on-line materials, as well as a curriculum that is common across most universities, and (4) organize and foster a self-sustaining summer RTM Institute. This RCN proposal is specifically intended to change the user-software landscape by creating a community-based and flexible education framework that is designed to enable to grow the educational platform beyond what one could otherwise achieve individually, or even as a community. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
文献类型	项目
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.173/C666/handle/2XK7JSWQ/214251
专题	环境与发展全球科技态势
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Alexis Navarre-Sitchler .RCN: Community-based educational infrastructure for numerical simulation in the Earth Sciences: a reactive transport use case.2019.