Visualization is the process of transforming the complex into what can be seen. Visualization began with the use of illustrations and drawings and has evolved to include interactive real-time digital imagery. A significant percentage of our brainpower is devoted to the visual cortex. Through visualizations, the human visual system is the workhorse that drives the understanding of society's most complex problems. 

In tandem with the growth and evolution of visualization, the science community faces two extraordinary and relatively sudden transitions in technology with transformative potential for computational research and education. First is the widespread adoption of high performance computing (HPC). Concurrently, advances in digital technologies (networking, instruments, etc.) have facilitated the generation and capture of observed data at an explosive rate. Visualization holds the key to unlocking the information locked inside what can be insurmountable amounts of numbers and data. 

In this talk, Dr. Kelly Gaither will discuss why visualization is such a powerful tool for understanding the complex. Additionally, Dr. Gaither will illustrate the impact that visualization has had in transforming science in both the past and the present, and the promise it holds for impact in our future's most challenging problems.

Presenter(s)

Kelly Gaither