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Cornell University
222 Day Hall
Ithaca, New York
14853-2801
P: 607.255.7200
E: VP Research
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 MRI
images of the human brain, remote data on landscapes, protein databanks,
and genomic databases contain unprecedented detailed, quantitative
information about biological systems that are transforming the way
researchers do almost all biology. The effective use of these and
other new sources of data requires a new breed of scientist with
interdisciplinary skills in computation, mathematics, statistics,
and the physical sciences, as well as in biology.
Computational biology research at Cornell is concentrated in four
areas: bioinformatics and data mining, biomolecular structure, evolutionary
biology, and systems biology. It is an area where Cornell's great
breadth in the sciences and tradition of interdisciplinary research
pays
off.
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 The
digital computer was invented for numerical calculation, specifically
to compute solutions to problems that are too lengthy to be solved "by
hand.'' Computational Science and Engineering (CS&E) describes
the use of computers to solve problems in science and engineering.
It is an enterprise that permeates the entire breadth of science
and engineering, with computation taking its place alongside theory
and experiment as a way of "doing'' science. It is also an enterprise
that is thoroughly interdisciplinary, drawing on computer science
and mathematics for its methodology as it addresses scientific problems.
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 Combustion
accounts for 85 percent of the energy used in the U.S., and it is
likely that such a high percentage will remain for some time to come.
Vast amounts of fossil fuel are consumed, and significant amounts
of pollutants are emitted in transportation, power generation, and
process industries. More advanced combustion technologies are required
to address the vital issues of energy conservation and environmental
protection. Computational modeling of turbulent combustion plays
an increasingly crucial role in the design and development of advanced
combustion equipment. In addition to its practical importance, turbulent
combustion poses a great intellectual and computational challenge.
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 Christine
A. Shoemaker, Joseph P. Ripley Professor of Engineering, Civil and
Environmental Engineering, applies computational mathematics to the
solution of optimization and environmental problems. Optimization
methods are computer algorithms that search for the "best solution" to
a problem that is defined by a set of equations. For example, Shoemaker
applies optimization methods to the problem of finding the least
expensive combination of locations and rates of pumping from wells
used to remove contamination from groundwater. This prevents pollution
of drinking water.
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 Dynamical
systems theory elucidates general phenomena occurring in the solution
of ordinary differential equations. Sometimes called "chaos
theory," it explains how deterministic systems can give rise
to unpredictable, seemingly random dynamics in a robust manner. The
broad applicability of these theories is astonishing. Guckenheimer
has collaborated with physicists, chemists, engineers, and biologists,
and has published work in all of these disciplines. His book, Nonlinear
Oscillations, Dynamical Systems, and Bifurcation of Vector Fields,
co-authored with Philip Holmes, has been a basic reference and text
for 20 years.
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 Research
in Information Science concentrates on the areas where computer
science and the social sciences overlap and reinforce each other.
As digital technologies have become pervasive in our culture,
researchers have found that technical, human, and social questions
are interwoven and must be studied together. Information Science
has a strong technical core, but it studies equally the human
and social context in which information systems are employed.
The faculty come from disciplines as varied as computer science,
communication, science and technology studies, cognitive psychology,
operations research, linguistics, economics, sociology, and law.
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in Progress photo story
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