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Can machine learning improve computer models enough to ignite internal confinement fusion?
Jan. 28, 2020 -
Laser-fusion researchers have turned to machine-learning techniques to seek the combinations of laser pulse characteristics and target design needed to optimize target implosions for inertial confinement fusion. Machine learning has tripled the fusion yield of the simpler direct-drive approach being studied with the OMEGA laser at the University of Rochester. In principle, the Rochester...
Department of Energy researchers share data management strategies at first-ever “Data Day”
Nov. 11, 2019 -
It’s become something of a mantra of the digital age: Data is the new currency. Especially in science, where it’s hard to find a single project that doesn’t involve generating or consuming massive amounts of data.
In light of the growing awareness of the critical importance of data management across the Department of Energy complex, more than 100 researchers from DOE national laboratories...
Big data illuminates the physical sciences
Nov. 6, 2019 -
Livermore teams are applying innovative data analysis and interpretation techniques to advance fundamental science research. This article describes projects in astrophysics and materials science. Read more at Science & Technology Review.
Cindy Gonzales forges a new career in data science
Sept. 25, 2019 -
Through LLNL’s Data Science Immersion Program, Gonzales is now among the Lab’s newest data scientists. For two and a half years, she juggled a demanding workload—coordinating Computing’s Scholar Program, interning with data scientists, learning from mentors, supporting LLNL’s Data Science Institute, and attending college part time—while also having her first child. Read more at LLNL Computing...
Collaboration drives data science workshop
Sept. 12, 2019 -
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) Data Science Institute (DSI) hosted its second annual workshop on July 23–24, 2019. Co-sponsored by the University of California (UC) system, the event drew more than 200 participants to Garré Winery in Livermore. A common theme ran throughout both days: Collaboration is always welcome.
Indeed, feedback from last year’s workshop inspired a...
CANDLE illuminates new pathways in fight against cancer
Aug. 16, 2019 -
As part of the Department of Energy’s role in the fight against cancer, scientists are building tools that use supercomputers to solve problems in entirely new ways. Cancer research provides a complex deep learning challenge that enables DOE to develop new supercomputing capabilities that will, in turn, help scientists address challenges in national security and science. The CANcer...
New open-air facility will be testing ground for autonomous drones, vehicles and robots
July 25, 2019 -
LLNL’s new OS-150 Robotics Laboratory is an outdoor, 8,000 square-foot enclosure that will serve as a proving ground for the autonomous drones, vehicles and robots of the future. Informally known as the "drone pen," the 50-foot-tall rectangular enclosure, located directly across from one of the Lab’s main engineering buildings, is allowing operators to pilot their drones safely and...
Protecting image classification in artificial intelligence
July 8, 2019 -
To address vulnerability concerns in image classification, a new subfield of machine learning has emerged called adversarial machine learning, which focuses on the security of machine learning algorithms. Thomas Hogan, a doctoral student of mathematics at UC Davis, spent his summer investigating this new area of research during the National Science Foundation’s Mathematical Sciences Graduate...
Hyperion Research announces new winners of HPC Innovation Excellence Awards
June 18, 2019 -
Hyperion Research announced the 14th round of recipients of the HPC Innovation Excellence Award at the ISC19 supercomputer industry conference in Frankfurt, Germany. Led by Brian Spears, an LLNL team used the Trinity supercomputer to seek out successful modes of laser-driven fusion implosions by building an enormous database for supervised training of a machine learned surrogate...
Machine learning on a mission
April 11, 2019 -
Machine learning uses computers to learn from data and make predictions about the environment. As the world generates more data, interpretation becomes more difficult. A smart machine—one that adapts to new information on the fly—can speed up processing and analysis times and improve its accuracy in identification and prediction tasks. Although commercial and consumer applications of ML are...
International collective of scientists seeks refined understanding of climate system
March 25, 2019 -
LLNL climate scientists announced the release of new data sets that will provide fresh insights into past and future climate change. Some of these data sets come from model simulations performed at LLNL, one of the more than 40 climate research centers and consortia engaged in next-generation climate change simulations. These results have been produced as part of an international effort to...
ESGF conference caps a productive year
Feb. 12, 2019 -
Members of the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF) gathered in Washington, DC, on December 3–7 for the 8th annual conference. The event packed 40 presentations, several plenary sessions, a poster session, guest speakers, an awards ceremony, and an executive committee meeting into the week. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) delegation comprised 19 staff from the Computation and...
Dispatches from the fall hackathon
Dec. 18, 2018 -
This recap of LLNL's seasonal hackathon was provided by the web team that manages several LLNL websites. Mike Goldman, director of the Data Science Institute (DSI), stopped by the team's table during the hackathon to discuss the Open Data Initiative. Read more at LLNL Computing.
Machine learning points toward new laser target designs
Oct. 8, 2018 -
When the Trinity supercomputer at Los Alamos National Laboratory was first coming online, calls went out for research projects that would test—and potentially break—the new system. LLNL researchers answered the call, and their work with Trinity and machine learning could disrupt 40 years of assumptions about inertial confinement fusion (ICF). The project essentially turned Trinity—then a 8.1...
Data science workshop embraces multidisciplinary community
Aug. 28, 2018 -
Since launching in early 2018, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) Data Science Institute (DSI) has hit the ground running with a series of seminars, collaborative sessions, reading groups and other activities for the LLNL data science community. On August 7–8, 2018, the DSI hosted its inaugural offsite workshop, which was co-sponsored by the University of California (UC).
More...
Researchers developing deep learning system to advance nuclear nonproliferation analysis
Aug. 21, 2018 -
Artificial neural networks are all around us, deeply embedded in routine functions on the internet. They help online merchants make personalized shopping recommendations, enable social media sites to recognize faces in photos and assist email programs in filtering out spam. Neural networks also have the potential to play a critical role in national security, helping nonproliferation analysts...
New Data Science Institute supports explosive growth of data science
March 8, 2018 -
The Data Science Institute (DSI) is a new multidisciplinary entity supporting growth in this field both across Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) programs and among the external data science community. The DSI is designed to facilitate mission-driven data science through a cohesive vision, increased collaboration, and targeted outreach and recruiting. The DSI is led by Michael...