At a computational frontier where once only physicists and engineers dared tread, medical researchers, biologists, and even sociologists now flock. What was long dismissed as mere "number crunching" has, in the last half of the 1980s, become universally accepted as an invaluable tool for probing that which nature obscures. Its applications range from the complexities of synthetic molecules to the glacial evolution of galaxies.
In May, the NSF propelled four of the centers into the next decade with a renewal of their five-year funding at a level 40% higher than in the past. Over that period the foundation will spend about $14 million annually on each center. Such an investment, in conjunction with funding from industry, local governments, and other sources, will buy the next generation of supercomputers, storage devices, and high-speed network equipment.
While the centers have learned much in their first five years, many important questions remain. Will ...
