Press Statement - March 28, 1997

Media contact:

Beth Gaston

(703) 306-1070

Statement by Dr. Neal Lane
Director, National Science Foundation

On PACI

The National Science Board selection of two fine recipients in the new Partnerships for Advanced Computational Infrastructure program is an exciting development for the nation. The new partnerships, led by the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and by the University of California, San Diego, will help keep America number one in science and engineering while creating an outstanding opportunity for education and training for the 21st Century.

This program is not just about faster computers. The partnerships will make available high-end computer cycles, and the software and expertise for scientists and engineers in all fields to use them, and will ensure broader access to this capability throughout the nation. A strong educational program will reach out to our K-12 schools, while the leading-edge centers and their partners will collaborate with scientists and engineers to use advanced supercomputing to address important and complex problems and analyze highly complex distributed information.
A strong academic advanced computational program is vital to U.S. economic growth. The field changes so rapidly that the state-of-the art ten years ago is today being incorporated into children's video games. Research in this field "spins out" to the commercial sector faster than any other field of research.