Data Science in the News

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New ML platform generates novel COVID-19 antibody sequences for experimental testing

May 1, 2020 - 
LLNL researchers have identified an initial set of therapeutic antibody sequences, designed in a few weeks using machine learning and supercomputing, aimed at binding and neutralizing SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The research team is performing experimental testing on the chosen antibody designs. Read more at LLNL News.

Upgrades for LLNL supercomputer from AMD, Penguin Computing aid COVID-19 research

April 21, 2020 - 
Under a new agreement, AMD will supply upgraded graphics accelerators for LLNL’s Corona supercomputing cluster, expected to nearly double the system’s peak compute power. The system will be used by scientists through the public/private COVID-19 HPC Consortium, and by LLNL researchers, who are working on discovering potential antibodies and anti-viral compounds for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that...

Using data to build a secure future (PODCAST)

April 21, 2020 - 
On the Hidden in Plain Sight podcast, LLNL director Bill Goldstein explains how the Lab crunches data to shape the future. Listen at Mission.org.

New partnership results in increased access to compelling 'real world data'

April 21, 2020 - 
Through a new partnership between the UC San Diego Library, Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute (HDSI), and LLNL's Data Science Institute, UCSD library patrons can now access and analyze two new “real world” data sets from LLNL. The Open Data Initiative collection shares some of LLNL’s challenging and unique data sets, which range in complexity from large-scale, domain-specific simulated data...

Local Women in Data Science conference showcases Lab research

April 3, 2020 - 
For the third consecutive year, LLNL hosted a Women in Data Science (WiDS) regional event on March 2. The event drew dozens of attendees from LLNL, Sandia National Laboratories, local universities, and Bay Area commercial companies. Livermore was one of over 200 regional events in 60 countries coordinated with the main WiDS conference at Stanford University. According to the WiDS website...

LLNL creates web resources to aid in fight against COVID-19

March 30, 2020 - 
LLNL is fully committed to helping protect the U.S. from COVID-19 and to speed the recovery of those affected. As a world-class research institute, we have considerable infrastructure, unique research capabilities and a dedicated team of scientists and engineers supporting the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Our current COVID-19 research and response activities are focused on four broad...

New partnership to unleash U.S. supercomputing resources in the fight against COVID-19

March 26, 2020 - 
The White House announced the launch of the COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium to provide COVID-19 researchers worldwide with access to the world’s most powerful high performance computing resources that can significantly advance the pace of scientific discovery in the fight to stop the virus. Read more at LLNL News.

Lab antibody, anti-viral research aids COVID-19 response

March 26, 2020 - 
LLNL scientists are contributing to the global fight against COVID-19 by combining artificial intelligence/machine learning, bioinformatics and supercomputing to help discover candidates for new antibodies and pharmaceutical drugs to combat the disease. Armed with the virus’ predicted 3D structure and a few antibodies known to bind and neutralize SARS, an LLNL team led by Daniel Faissol and...

DSI sponsors LLNL hackathon

Feb. 18, 2020 - 
Since 2012, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) Computing directorate has held hackathons three times a year. These spring, summer, and fall events are scheduled over 24 hours and invite software teams to work on new ideas, programming languages, open-source tools, or project tasks. Exploration and experimentation are highly encouraged, and “It’s OK to fail” is the event mantra...

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.

LLNL team achieves largest graph analytics to date

Oct. 28, 2019 - 
Besides broad usage in the tech industry, graph analytics also have national security applications, where algorithms dig through massive datasets to find anomalies or patterns of nefarious activity. It’s in that vein that an LLNL team of computer scientists and applied mathematicians, including Roger Pearce, Geoffrey Sanders, postdoc Benjamin Priest and visiting scholar Trevor Steil, searched...

FedTech helps accelerate technology transfer

Oct. 4, 2019 - 
LLNL computer scientists with promising technologies have taken part in a national organization’s commercialization program that pairs researchers with entrepreneurs. One of the researchers, Timo Bremer (who also sits on the DSI Council), worked for 12 weeks with teams of entrepreneurs, comprised of former CEO’s, executives, graduates and students with master’s degrees in business and others...

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...

LLNL presentation at KDD Conference women’s luncheon (VIDEO)

Aug. 15, 2019 - 
The DSI co-sponsored the women's lunch at the 2019 Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining. Alyson Fox and Amanda Minnich discussed LLNL's diversity and inclusion efforts. Watch on LLNL's YouTube channel.

LLNL Center for Applied Scientific Computing: accelerating scientific discovery (VIDEO)

July 12, 2019 - 
The Center for Applied Scientific Computing (CASC) serves as LLNL’s window to the broader computer science, computational physics, applied mathematics, and data science research communities. Major thrust areas in CASC research include: (1) Increasing simulation fidelity by integrating multi-physics and multi-scale models, increasing resolution through advanced numerical methods and more...

Small brain-on-a-chip promises big payoffs

July 10, 2019 - 
Livermore’s brain-on-a-chip may offer a faster, less expensive, and more effective way to evaluate the organ’s response to human-made and natural threats. The device is the newest embodiment of an integrated system designed to accurately evaluate the effects of potentially harmful chemicals, viruses, and drugs on humans without relying on animal or human test subjects. Computational models...

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...