From a scientists standpoint, what are the advantages of gaining access to systems this early on?
Nystrom: Accessing more powerful capability-class systems allows scientists to increasingly address the problems they really want to solve, rather than simplifications. One can go to realistic resolution and model all relevant degrees of freedom. This translates into a better return on investment. R&D cost is high, so rapidly translating the investment required to develop a new system into results of scientific, economic, and national importance ideally leverages that investment. HPCwire: Big Ben, the PSC’s Cray XT3, went into production on October 1. Can you provide some examples of scientific breakthroughs made possible through that resource? Nystrom: Actually, breakthroughs began well before production. In April 2005, PSC scientists Troy Wymore and Shawn Brown performed a series of path integral quantum mechanical/molecular mechanics runs to elucidate the molecular basis of two different metabolic diseases, Hyperprolinemia Type II and Sjogren-Larsson Syndrome. More recently, Yang Wa
