Dear CUG Members,
The Center for Computational Sciences (CCS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is excited to host CUG 2004. The CCS is a US Department of Energy (DOE) High-Performance Computing Research Center, and it has been evaluating and hardening capability-oriented systems since its inception in 1992. The CCS is now home to the Cray X1 evaluation project within the DOE Office of Science, with the goal of providing ultrascale computational capability to DOE scientists.
With the availability and proliferation of Cray X1 systems over the last year, CUG 2004 should prove to be a particularly exciting and fruitful conference, and the CCS is pleased to host CUG at this unique time in its history. It is a time of growth within the CCS as well, as we move to our new computing facility, with almost an acre of machine floor space, and as we grow our Cray in pursuit of ultrascale capability. Further, it is a time of remarkable growth for ORNL, with the construction of many other major new facilities, including the massive Spallation Neutron Source, the Joint Institute for Computational Sciences, the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, and the Joint Institute for Biological Sciences.
will be held near Oak Ridge in downtown Knoxville, on the banks of the Tennessee River. Knoxville is the largest city in East Tennessee, with a metropolitan population of over half a million. The city has a strong history of science and technology, as the home of the Tennessee Valley Authority and the University of Tennessee, which itself is home to world-class research organizations, such as Jack Dongarra's Innovative Computing Laboratory. The downtown area near the CUG meeting provides easy access to restaurants, theaters, and galleries, and a riverside park leads to the UT campus.
As suggested by our theme, "Peaks, Streams, and Cascades", the region provides a wealth of outdoor recreational opportunities. Beyond the nearby rivers, lakes, greenways, parks, and hiking trails, Knoxville and Oak Ridge are surrounded by national parks, including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Cherokee National Forest, the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, the Obed Wild and Scenic River, and the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.
The CCS, Knoxville, and East Tennessee look forward sharing our technological and natural wonders with you at CUG 2004.
James B. White III (Trey)
CUG 2004 Local Arrangements Chair
Center for Computational Sciences
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
trey@ornl.gov
