Foster Computational Thinking

Ian Foster

Computation Institute

Argonne National Lab & University of Chicago

Some thoughts on computation

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“Applied computer science is now playing the role that mathematics did from the 17th through the 20th centuries: providing an orderly, formal framework and exploratory apparatus for other sciences”

– G. Djorgovski

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Knowledge generation in astronomy ~1600

30 years? years

10 years6 years2 years

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Knowledge generation in astronomy ~1600

30 years? years

10 years6 years2 years

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Automation10

-1 108 Hz

data capture

Community10

0 104

astronomers(+106 amateur)

ComputationData10

6 1015

Baggregate 10

-1 1015

Hzpeak

Literature10

1 105

pages/year

Astronomy,from 1600 to 2000

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Denning’s “great principles”

Computation

Communication

Coordination

Recollection

Automation

Evaluation

Design

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NAE Grand Challenges

7

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A Community Integrated Model for Economic and Resource Trajectories for

Humankind (CIM-EARTH)

Dynamics,foresight,

uncertainty,resolution, …

Agriculture,transport,

taxation, …

Data (global,local, …)

(Super)computers

CIM-EARTHFramework

Communityprocess

Opencode, data

www.cim-earth.org

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10

for most people,

computing in the large

is more important than computing in the small

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The world includes many analog components

Computation Institutewww.ci.uchicago.edu

www.ci.anl.gov

Thank you!