Sudden Collapse: Supercomputing Spotlight on Gels

Chemical engineering researcher Roseanna Zia has begun to shed light on the secret world of colloidal gels - liquids dispersed in a solid. Yogurt, shampoo, and Jell-o are just a few examples. Sometimes gels act like liquids, and sometimes they act like a solid. Understanding the theory behind these transitions can translate to real-world applications, such as helping understand why mucus - also a colloidal gel - in the airway of people with cystic fibrosis can thicken, resist flow and possibly threaten life. Roseanna Zia is an Assistant Professor of Chemical and Bimolecular Engineering at Cornell. She led development of the biggest dynamic computer simulations of colloidal gels yet, with over 750,000 particles. The Zia Group used the Stampede supercomputer at TACC through an allocation from XSEDE, the eXtreme Science and Engineering Environment, a single virtual system funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that allows scientists to interactively share computing resources, data and expertise. Podcast host Jorge Salazar interviewed Roseanna Zia. Music Credits: Raro Bueno, Chuzausen freemusicarchive.org/music/Chuzausen/