Visualizing the Unseen … from Kaon Decay to Global Warming

And other projects of The King’s Centre for Visualization in Science

The King’s Centre for Visualization in Science (KCVS)

• What do you get if you add– 6 bright & eager students– A dash of NSERC-CRYSTAL

funding– 2 faculty members hanging on for

dear life!– Stir “gently”

KCVS is …• A facility created at The King’s University College

dedicated to the production of scientific visualizations for both education and research

• Funded by NSERC-CRYSTAL Alberta (>90%), with smaller grants received from IUPAC and NSF

• An “asset” of CRYSTAL Alberta and, potentially an asset of the entire CRYSTAL programme

KCVS “skill sets” …• We are developing a team of students with a broad range of

backgrounds and skills which have included:– Aeronautic and Space Engineering, Chemistry, Environmental Studies

and Computing Science

• Areas of competence include:– Programming in JAVA, VPYTHON, Actionscript, FLASH and C++– Rendering in BRYCE, MAYA and Blender– Subject area expertise in chemistry, physics, environmental science

• Student funding comes from:– Annual base funding from CRYSTAL Alberta grant (1.8 student equiv.)– Collaboration with other CRYSTAL projects (3 student equiv.)– NSERC USRA programme (1 student equiv.)– Grants from other agencies (IUPAC, NSF etc) (0.2 student equiv.)

KCVS Goals and Challenges …• A major goal is the creation of a centre that can respond

to visualization needs of educational researchers within the CRYSTAL programme as well as other educational arenas

• To develop the concentrated and specialized skill set necessary to produce visualizations

• Develop and maintain a stable cohort of students from one academic year to the next

• To attract a broader funding base and hence leverage existing NSERC support

KCVS Outcomes to date…

• Public Website:http://kcvs.ca

• Links to approximately2 dozen FLASH appletsand other DigitalLearning Objects

• Projects:– Visualizing the “Unseen” – Martin& Mahaffy– Particulate nature of matter – Gustafson et al– West Nile Virus – (Wonham, McNab, Norris, deVries)

– Ethical Use of Chemicals - IUPAC

Visualizing the “Unseen”

• Global Climate Change

• Modern Physics

• Chemistry

Interactive graphs from global climate models

A global CO2

footprint calculator

Structure of theAtmosphere DLO

Cloud chamber simulation

The PhotoelectricEffect

Particle in a 1D box

Stereo molecular viewer Greenhouse gas

heating

KCVS and Other Projects…

• Grade Five Science (Gustafson et al)

– major project (budget coordination)

– First version >4 student-monthequivalents development time

• West Nile Virus (Wonham, McNab, Norris, deVries)

– Visualization supported by KCVS

– First draft 1.5 student-monthequivalents development time

Future Ventures of KCVS…

• Continue to provide visualization support to CRYSTAL Alberta

• Consolidate transfer relationships with:– Telus World of Science– National Science Foundation – Visionary

Grant (received August 2007 – Mike Steiff University of Maryland, Karl Harrison, Oxford University, David Geelan, University of Queensland, Brian Martin, The King’s University College)