AstroSim
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AstroSim is the informal name for a project entitled “A Novel Educational Interface for Experimenting with Computational Physics in a Shared 3D Virtual Online World”, funded by a grant from ROIS (Research Organization of Information and Systems). The duration of the project is Oct 2008 – March 2009.
Please watch our AstroSim video!
Background
In a time of pressing global issues, such as global warming, the ability to understand large-scale phenomena is gaining increased importance. Such complex scientific problems require adequate visualization tools to support experimentation and understanding, and the collaboration of multiple experts, who are typically geographically distributed all over the world. Currently, however, there is a lack of suitable tools for synchronous visualization and collaboration. As a concrete example of a large-scale simulation, we will focus on Globular Star Cluster Evolution in the project.
Educational Interface
We will develop a novel educational interface for understanding globular cluster simulation, which is based on visualizing the simulation in a shared 3D online world. The interface provides two complementary modes of educational experience:
- Visualization and manipulation of realistic large-scale data in offline mode.
- Interactive real-time testing of algorithms, based on small-scale data in online mode.
The result of the project is a 3D environment, dedicated to learning about globular star cluster evolution experiments. The environment is initially based on Second Life, and later on OpenSimulator, an open source server for hosting virtual worlds. In this environment, users, as avatars (graphical representations of users), can meet, co-experience, and co-learn about fundamental principles of computational physics. The salient features of the new educational interface are the following:
- Users/avatars can create stars and code their physical properties (velocity, mass, etc) easily with different color and size.
- Users/avatars can playback simulations and zoom into visualizations.
- Users/avatars can manipulate the position of stars interactively and cooperatively, and thus, co-experience the effects of changing parameters (online mode).
- Multiple avatars can co-experience and discuss highly realistic, large-scale simulations in a shared 3D environment (offline mode).
AstroSim will allow anyone, including non-experts, to experiment with large-scale phenomena that were previously only accessible to researchers working in dedicated laboratories. Except for a networked computer, no special equipment is needed.
Organization
Project Director: Kenichi Miura (Center for Grid Research Development, National Institute of Informatics)
Project Coordinator: Helmut Prendinger (National Institute of Informatics)
Project Collaborators: Jun Makino (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan), Piet Hut (Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton)
Project Contributors: Arturo Nakasone (National Institute of Informatics), Simon Holland (National Institute of Informatics), Fawad Nazir (National Institute of Informatics), Will Farr (MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research), Takaaki Takeda (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan)
