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About C-MMACS
In the late 1980's, the Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR) recognized the growing significance of
Mathematical Modelling and Computer Simulation, as it became evident that
modelling approaches were critical for illuminating the structure and
evolution of complex systems that were invading the areas of scientific
analysis and technological design. Fields like Geology and Biology, which
for a long time was considered largely observational and qualitative had
already begun to exploit the new possibilities, offered by Mathematical
Modelling and Computer Simulation to grow new areas of computational
geology and computational biology.
The Council therefore established
in 1988 the "CSIR Center for Mathematical Modelling and Computer
Simulation", briefly called C-MMACS (pronounced as seemax). The
Centre is located in the Belur Campus of the National Aerospace
Laboratories (NAL), Bangalore. Prof. P Seshu, is the current
Scientist-in-Charge of the centre. The policies and programmes of the
centre are approved and monitored by a high level Advisory Committee under
the Chairmanship of the Director General of CSIR, comprising members drawn
from various Academic, R&D and Industrial Institutions. The centre has
a core Scientific and Technical staffs with a dozen Ph.D's in varied areas
notably, Physical, Mathematical and Engineering Sciences.
It also has associates from
other Institutions accredited to the centre, who closely work with the
centre's staff on identified areas of Research. The centre has both in
house and collaborative projects, quite, a few of which are sponsored.
To-date, financial support of approximately three crores rupees has been
received as external funding from the sponsoring agencies. Besides, the
centre also gives specially designed courses as well as Technical Advice,
Consultancy Services and access to its computing resources. As a result of
these endeavors, a number of activities have now developed into important
areas of Research and Development. Notable amongst these are Modelling of
Hazard Environments, Pollution, Climate change and Modelling for new
drugs.
An important program initiated
by the centre in the wake of the destructive later earthquake was the
modelling of crustal strain in the Indian crust using the modern satellite
based Global Positioning System receivers (GPS). The work carried out in
the Southern peninsular over the past 15 months has demonstrated the
ability of this approach to detect strain rates as low as 0.01 micro
strain per year thereby opening a measurable approach to delineating areas
of potential seismic hazard. This work has been carried out in close
collaboration with a group of American scientists and several Indian
Institutions. Over 25 control points for repeat base-line measurements
have now been established with accuracy of less than 6mm. These
measurements now interpreted using in-house computer processing
capabilities have yielded the first directly measured values of
the velocity of the Indian plate with respect to the Eurasian plate as
well as with respect to the rotational axis of the earth.
In another program, the initial
evolutionary features of cyclones have been studied in the context of
those originating in the Bay of Bengal. The first results indicate the
possibility of developing viable Mathematical Modells for early warming of
cyclones. Concern for increasing levels of pollution in the Assam oil
fields has led to the development of a simulation program at C-MMACS now
being carried out in close interaction with field tests conducted by the
Regional Research Laboratory, Jorhat. The need to model marine pollution
around Bombay has led to the development of another modelling and
simulation programme, with support from the Department of Ocean
Development and in co-operation with several other agencies, notably the
Bombay Centers of NEERI and NIO. Exercises on ocean modelling, which bears
on the role of oceans in moderating the impact of anthropogenic factors in
climate change, have also been taken up. A simulation of the world's
oceans has been carried out to reveal how seasonal changes occur in the
oceans under normal climatic conditions. Also, detailed model simulations
have been carried out on the effect of biological processes, particularly
photosynthesis, on the transfer of Carbon from the atmosphere to the deep
ocean. These studies are sponsored by the Department of Ocean Development
under its MARSIS Phase II program. A simulation program to investigate the
molecular structure of certain peptides has also been developed at C-MMACS
in collaboration with IICT Hyderabad, This is expected to aid in
development of new drugs. Most of the above activities have become
possible because of the establishment of a world class-computing
environment.
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