Michal Kopera, associate professor of mathematics at Boise State University, has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) EPSCoR Research Fellowship to support research at the intersection of scientific computing and machine learning.
MIT collaboration advances ocean forecasting
Michal Kopera will collaborate with Professor Pierre Lermusiaux at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Multi-Scale Estimation and Assimilation (MSEAS) Laboratory. Their project aims to develop machine learning algorithms for adaptive mesh refinement, enabling smarter simulations to focus computational resources on critical areas of complex ocean models, thus yielding more efficient and relevant information for understanding the Earth's climate system.
Implications for weather forecasting
This research will improve the accuracy and cost-effectiveness of ocean circulation and environmental forecasting by integrating data-driven decision-making. It holds significant potential for predicting ocean currents, climate patterns like El NiƱo, and coastal hazards such as tsunami waves and hurricane-induced storm surges, which are vital for coastal community safety. The developed techniques are also applicable to other fields, including engineering and astrophysics.
Students join cutting-edge research
The NSF fellowship builds on Kopera's work as director of Boise Stateās Numerical Modeling (NUMO) Laboratory, where students tackle complex problems across disciplines using data-driven modeling. Ph.D. student Antone Chacartegui and masterās student Hailey Stubbers are involved, with Chacartegui joining Kopera at MIT to contribute to the collaborative research. This initiative aims to advance fundamental research in computational mathematics and foster opportunities for student engagement in cutting-edge science between Boise State and MIT.
