Visualizations provide insight, excitement

Computational modeling and simulation produce a flood of data that researchers must parse in search of new knowledge. NCSA's Advanced Visualization Laboratory (AVL) aids in this process by transforming dry data into artful animations that can show the moment when a thunderstorm gives birth to a tornado or the gases of the early galaxy coalesce into planets.

The AVL team believes that research shouldn't languish in the lab. Science and engineering insights must be shared with the widest possible audience. The goal is to share the thrill discovery and to inspire interest in and enthusiasm for scientific inquiry.

As part of this cyberoutreach, visualizations produced by NCSA have been showcased at the American Museum of Natural History, in an Oscar-nominated IMAX movie, in television documentaries, and at planetariums and theaters around the globe.

For more information, go to http://avl.ncsa.uiuc.edu/.