About
The Pan-American Advanced Studies Institutes Program (PASI) is a joint funding initiative of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy (DOE).
The aim of the program is the dissemination of advanced scientific and engineering knowledge, and fostering training and cooperation among researchers in the Americas. The focus is on mathematical, physical and biological sciences, geosciences and computer and information sciences, and the engineering fields.
The proposal for this PASI, titled “Scientific Computing in the Americas: the challenge of massive parallelism”, was submitted to NSF in early 2010, and selected for funding in June. It will be held on January 3–14, 2011 at Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, in Valparaíso, Chile. The principal investigator and main organizer of this PASI is Professor Lorena A Barba, from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University.
The awarded funding of US$100,600 will permit 12 distinguished lecturers from the US, Mexico and Argentina to attend this PASI to give lectures and interact with the local scientific community in Valparaíso, Chile; it will also award travel grants to 30 graduate students and postdoctoral scholars to attend as general participants.
Applications for travel grants were received online until October 1st, 2010. A total of 90 applications were received, for the 30 available grants, making the selection process especially hard on the committee. The grantees were announced on October 15 (US students) and October 20 (LA students).
Additional funding
The Scientific and Technological Center of Valparaíso, CCTVal, has awarded supplementary funding of almost US$10,000 to offer hosting (labs, AV equipment and staff, coffee breaks, speaker recognition dinner) and support for students coming from other Chilean cities to help with lodging in Valparaíso.
Organizing Committee
- Prof Lorena A Barba, Boston University, US (committee chair and PI)
- Prof Luis Salinas, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Chile
- Dr Matthew Knepley, University of Chicago, US
- Dr Luis Miguel de la Cruz, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Local Organizing Committee
- Prof Luis Salinas, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Chile
- Raquel Pezoa, MSc, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Chile
- Paola Arce, MSc, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Chile