These computing advances have interesting implications for the academic research organizations:

Keeping Academic Research Cutting Edge
Just as it is natural that leading edge researchers view their role as explorers at the edge of knowledge, it has been a natural extension of both culture and budgets that computer expenditures of tens of millions of dollars extends that edge. For instance, as mass production technology has moved ever so steadily in the direction of processor and memory improvements, so have there been improvements in classical computer architecture. Recently, the research community has focused on an alternative architecture called parallel computing.

New Computer Architecture
This new parallel architecture has allowed supercomputing specialists to take advantage of the mass production of components as well as its associated performance growth. In order to achieve this larger-scale computing power, normal mass produced components are linked together in parallel using specialized networks. In the past, however, this new architecture has not easily and efficiently executed the existing base of computational models that have been so painstakingly developed and fine-tuned over the years. Consequently, the academic research community has taken this as a challenge. It has begun developing new models for a new and different set of problems that should effectively run on this new architecture.

Problems with Parallelization
The problem lies in the abandonment of existing, basic engineering applications. These applications include structural analysis, elastic-plastic flow analysis, complex, irregular fluid dynamics problems, injection molding, etc. Unfortunately, those irregular, real-world problems tend to cause gross inefficiencies in parallelization, hence tend to remain classical CS&E problems.

Enhancing Multi-disciplinary Education
As both an applied engineering and a research and education institution, San Diego State University has begun a multi-disciplinary doctoral program in CS&E. Led by Professor José Castillo, the program brings faculty together from the departments of Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Geological Sciences, Mathematical and Computer Sciences, Engineering and Physics.