There is more to education and learning than what transpires in the confines of a lecture hall.  As a young engineering student it was the various projects I was involved in outside my required course work and classes that kept me motivated in my studies and inspired me later to pursue a research career. Needless to say, this was greatly facilitated by the few supportive teachers I had as an undergraduate student. Professors and lecturers who took an interest, nurtured  my curiosity, and made time for me outside class hours instilled in me a sense of adventure and discovery when working on projects.

I hope I can encourage my students to them discover and develop their own interests so that they can experience the thrill of discovery in research.  My goal is to find students in engineering and sciences who are interested in working on projects that involve developing simulation or computational models of physical, biological, ecological phenomena or systems.

Computational science (or scientific computing) is the field of study concerned with constructing mathematical models using computers to analyze and solve scientific, social science, and engineering problems. It uses computer simulations and other forms of computation to increase our understanding of scientific phenomena.

Simulation plays a great role in our quest for understanding and discovery in science and engineering. The use of simulation is seen in numerous aspects of science today; in biology, physics, chemistry, geology, and engineering. Recent great discoveries and inventions have been made as a result of our ability to create virtual simulations of the physical world. The field of computational science encompasses diverse activities that bear the common thread of creating models, simulating their behavior, and visualizing results.

Computational scientists and engineers develop computer programs and application software that model systems being studied. They use these programs to model changing real-world conditions, such as weather, air flow around a plane, automobile body distortions in a crash, the motion of stars in a galaxy, or an explosive device.

SDSU recently received a grant from National Science Foundation to develop an undergraduate research scholarship program for students in sciences and engineering to participate in computational science research.  Prof Jose Castillo and I are co-directors of this program. We plan to recruit and support 24-30 junior/senior level students each year.  I will actively recruit students to this program, organize seminars and invite professors to give short presentations of their research and introductions to their labs so that students learn of the many opportunities available to them. After we have had a chance to expose students to available opportunities, I will meet with each student individually to learn about their needs and interests and help them identify suitable labs and faculty mentors in their respective disciplines. This semester we will organize a series of short lectures and discussions on various aspects of research, including:

• How to indentify a project/research area of interest;
• How to formulate a research question,
• How to develop skills and expertise to tackle the research problem,
• How to isolate and abstract a problem to understand it,
• How to present the results of research in verbal and written form, and
• Ethical standards in research.  

We hope to indentify a lab/faculty mentor for each student by the middle of his/her first semester in the program. Once students are placed in labs under the supervision of professors who will provide them with technical advice, I will meet with them weekly individually and as a group. Individual meetings are designed for progress updates, to learn how students are progressing in their lab/research activities, and to providing any guidance or help needed to tailor the research to their interest. Group meetings are for periodic presentations by students to share their research work with their peer group and other faculty mentors,, presentations by recent graduates working in government and research labs, presentations from research scientists and engineers from industry, and presentations from career development specialists. These meetings will also provide students with the opportunity to  discuss with their peer group  their experiences, the challenges they are facing, and possible solutions to difficulties they encounter.

We are looking for students who are fascinated by computer simulations and visualizations. We want to find students who want go beyond the awe to become creators and users of simulations and visualization. Discovery in research is a highly satisfying and rewarding experience, but is also inherently challenging and requires dedication and perseverance. We therefore are seeking students who have a passion for learning, a curiosity for discovery,  and the commitment to work hard. Participation in the NSF scholarships program will require a commitment of 15-20 hours per week. This includes time spent in conducting research, attending group/ lab meetings, presentations, seminars, and workshops. Students participating in this program must also  participate in the SDSU student research symposium and make a poster or oral presentation of their research annually.

Program participants who qualify for financial aid can receive scholarships up to $4000 if their unmet financial needs as determined by the financial aid office does match or exceed this amount.

Interested students are encouraged to contact me by email (satchi@mail.sdsu.edu) and send a resume with a short cover letter that provides a brief description of their academic background, their current status, interests, future plans, and contact information.