New Home for Schiller Institute Core Faculty’s Collaborative Computational Research

By Stephanie M. McPherson

The newly renovated Service building has opened its doors, giving a home to the computational researchers of the Schiller Institute.

“This is just another level of nice,” says Parker Hunt, a graduate student working with Yi Ming, Institute Professor of Climate Science and Society. “Every desk is a standing desk, there's plenty of room, we have a kitchenette. It allows you to not really worry about anything. You are in this nice area with a bunch of other people doing things that you're also interested in, so that allows us to foster some collaboration.”

“The place is full of light, so even if you're not next to a window, you still have plenty of sunlight come in,” says Ming. “You're in front of your computer screens all day long so it is important to maintain this connection with the physical world. That brightens the mood. Especially given the winter is coming.”

Work on the building started in October 2022, but plans for a computational space began in 2020 soon after Laura J. Steinberg joined as the Seidner Family Executive Director of the Schiller Institute. The space was designed by architecture firm Payette, which also designed 245 Beacon Street, the primary location for the Schiller Institute.

“The original space for the Schiller Institute included beautiful state-of-the-art wet lab facilities. But so much research in climate change is computationally based,” says Steinberg. “You don't want people sitting in little offices by themselves. What you want is a large space, well-lit with high-speed computing available, with a lot of screens and movable whiteboards. A dedicated space for our Core faculty and their students and postdocs to pursue their climate research.”

Students are already feeling the benefit of the low-walled cubicle space and “huddle room” style conference rooms equipped with large screens for easy sharing of information. 

“Having the computationally heavy students working around each other really allows us to share resources,” says Hunt. “It can be something as small as like, ‘oh my bash code wasn't running, can you take a quick look?’ Or, ‘have you run into this issue before?’ That can save two or three hours of troubleshooting online if you're right next to someone who's like, ‘oh yeah, actually I know how to do this.’” 

This getting to know about the projects of other students will inevitably promote collaborations beyond technical support.  

“Professor Ming is more focused on physical climate components and my group is more focused on chemical climate change like greenhouse gas, biology, chemistry, climate feedback,” says Hanqin Tian, Institute Professor of Global Sustainability. “But to understand [all the complexities of climate change], we need both. It’s complementary, we work together. Here, students can interact and create a really integrated understanding of the current climate system.”

Both Ming’s and Tian’s research involves intensive computer modeling of complex, interconnected systems requiring the processing of many climate-related variables—from biogeochemical cycles and climate feedback to the socioeconomic consequences of extreme weather. This work is supported by powerful servers that the researchers and students can connect to at their desks in the Service building or via VPN from home.“

More and more, the fields are moving towards working together and combining the chemistry aspects, the physics aspects, and the social aspects,” says Hunt. “That's Schiller's whole goal. Being able to do that here, in this computational space in the Service building is very helpful.”

The Service building has been many things in its lifetime. It started as a facility services spot more than three decades ago. Eventually, a second floor was added to be office space for the Lynch School of Education and Human Development. Network support and the BC Computer Replacement program had been housed there, as well as a facilities garage. 

These programs and offices have all dispersed to other locations on campus, and after its gut renovation, half of its second floor is Schiller’s computational research space. The building also is home to engineering classrooms, giving the space a vibrant, energetic feel as undergraduates stream in and out throughout the day. 

The Schiller students have already taken ownership of their new lab space, christening it with a welcome party in mid-October. Schiller will follow suit next month when attendees at its November 6th faculty social hour will be invited to tour the new space.

“To have a pleasant, comfortable working place is essential for having a collaborative research environment,” says Ming. “Everyone every single morning just looks forward to coming to work.”