Sumit Ghosh named Associate VP for Education & Research by the Society for Modeling & Simulation International 

In July, Dr. Sumit Ghosh, the Hattrick Chair Professor of Information Systems Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology, was appointed Associate Vice President for Research and Education by the Society for Modeling and Simulation International (SMSI). The SMSI board is working to establish a formal VP position as the society undergoes administrative restructuring.

SMSI (scs.org) was established 50 years ago in San Diego, Calif., as the Society for Computer Simulation. SMSI's new president, Dr. Bernard Zeigler of the University of Arizona, has committed to renewing the society and converting it into a clearinghouse for every kind of modeling and simulation effort - research as well as education.

"The overarching vision," said Ghosh, "is to educate every engineer, regardless of specialization, in modeling and simulation, which we believe is the key to the future. This position will help me to work towards that goal.

"By providing fast, precise, and fatigue-free computational intelligence," he continued, "computers have enabled the development of reasonably accurate models of real-world systems and the execution of simulations that closely mimic reality. In fact, the computer's ability to both represent and execute systems in the abstract provides us with the unprecedented ability to model systems that may even transcend our known reality. This permits us to, first, immerse the next generation of students into a skunkworks-like environment where creative thoughts are nurtured and their practical realization encouraged. Such an environment can span all known branches of knowledge, especially engineering.

"Second, we must educate students in the intricacies of modeling and simulation, cultivated on top of the sound principles of physical sciences, mathematics, and social sciences, so they may validate, verify, and critically study their ideas through objective experimentation. Modeling and simulation is the new scientific tool for experimentally studying future complex systems."

SMSI plans to embark on this mission of education and research, the objective being to reach out to every student, starting with those engaged in engineering, science, and business, and progressing eventually to all other branches of knowledge, and impart the fundamental principles of modeling and simulation.

"Pedagogically," said Ghosh, "this endeavor will signal a new beginning in tapping the computer's unlimited potential for the benefit of all. SMSI is deeply confident that its efforts will help bring about a future, full of promise and hope, matching perhaps the era of the discoveries of electromagnetic radiation, nuclear fission, transistors, and computers in the late nineteenth and early- to mid-twentieth century."

SMSI will develop a comprehensive program, a few of the key steps being as follows:

• Incorporate the concepts of modeling and simulation in introductory programming language courses, so that students may learn the subtleties with little additional effort
• Offer training to instructors of introductory programming languages across the world
• Offer training and hands-on experience to scientific and engineering personnel in industry in the new modeling and simulation techniques, so that they can, in turn, become leaders in their own fields
• Provide leadership in research to develop newer approaches to modeling techniques, simulation algorithms, and innovative hardware-software architectures for accurate and fast executions of simulations.

For more information about Dr. Ghosh, his career in industry and academia, and his published works, please visit www.stevens.edu/~sghosh2

About Stevens Institute of Technology

Founded in 1870, Stevens Institute of Technology is one of the leading technological universities in the world dedicated to learning and research. Through its broad-based curricula, nurturing of creative inventiveness, and cross disciplinary research, the Institute is at the forefront of global challenges in engineering, science, and technology management. Partnerships and collaboration between, and among, business, industry, government and other universities contribute to the enriched environment of the Institute. A new model for technology commercialization in academe, known as Technogenesis®, involves external partners in launching business enterprises to create broad opportunities and shared value.

Stevens offers baccalaureates, master’s and doctoral degrees in engineering, science, computer science and management, in addition to a baccalaureate degree in the humanities and liberal arts, and in business and technology. The university has a total enrollment of 2,150 undergraduate and 3,500 graduate students, with about 250 full-time faculty. Stevens’ graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America. Additional information may be obtained from its web page at www.stevens.edu.  

For the latest news about Stevens, please visit StevensNewsService.com.