Overview and Intro to Scientific Visualization

Overview and Introduction to Scientific Visualization [ppt] [pdf]

By Paul Navratil

Paul is a Visualization Scientist in the Data and Information Analysis division of the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include efficient algorithms for large-scale parallel visualization and data analysis (VDA) and innovative design for large-scale VDA systems. His recent work includes algorithms for ultrascale distributed-memory ray tracing, work that enables photo-realistic rendering of the largest datasets produced on supercomputers today, such as cosmologic simulations of the Universe and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations at unprecedented levels of detail. Paul also helps manage TACC's visualization systems, including Longhorn, the largest supercomputer in the world dedicated to VDA, and Stallion, the highest-resolution tiled display in the world. Paul received a B.S. in Computer Science, a B.A. in Plan II interdisciplinary honors, and an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin. He will complete a Ph.D. in Computer Science from UT-Austin in August, 2010. Paul's research has been published in the IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics and his visualizations have appeared in The New York Times and Discover magazine.