Joint Institute for Computational Sciences & Oak Ridge Center for Advanced Studies

The University of Tennessee (UT) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) established the Joint Institute for Computational Sciences (JICS) to advance scientific discovery and state-of-the-art engineering and to further knowledge of computational modeling and simulation, taking full advantage of the computers operating at the tera scale and beyond at the National Center for Computational Sciences housed at ORNL.

The Institute aims to educate a new generation of scientists and engineers in the application of computational modeling and simulation for solving the most challenging scientific and engineering problems. The other program to be housed in the new facility, the Oak Ridge Center for Advanced Studies (ORCAS), will bring together scientists and educators from leading institutions across the nation to form the intellectual core of a 21st century ”think tank.”

ORCAS is a unique partnership in the Southeastern United States among ORNL, its partner universities, and other national and international experts. The purpose is to bring together some of the greatest minds in the world to work on scientific challenges that are too big for any single laboratory or university. The program will be comparable with facilities like the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico and the Aspen Institute in Colorado.