Prof.
August
E.
(Gus)
Evrard
is
a
first
generation
computational
cosmologist
and
educational
innovator
at
the
University
of
Michigan.
Author
of
the
first
computational
algorithm
to
enable
multi-fluid
cosmological
simulations
of
galaxy
formation,
Prof.
Evrard's
astrophysical
research
aims
to
understand
clusters
of
galaxies,
the
rarest
and
largest
gravitationally
bound
systems
in
the
universe.
Named
a
Fellow
of
the
American
Physical
Society
in
2012,
his
research
is
documented
in
over
250
refereed
papers.
Evrard
is
also
a
two-time
awardee
of
the
University
of
Michigan's
Provost
Teaching
Innovation
Prize.
Within
Michigan’s
Center
for
Academic
Innovation
he
leads
two
service-oriented
projects
used
by
thousands
of
students
each
year;
Atlas
offers
academic
pathways
services
on
the
Ann
Arbor
campus
while
Problem
Roulette
is
a
stress-free
study
zone
providing
students
with
equitable
access
to
locally
authored
problems
from
past
exams.
Title: From
Cluster
Cosmology
to
Computing
Education
Abstract:
Cosmological
studies
using
galaxy
clusters
have
a
deep
history
but
are
beset
by
complications
rooted
in
the
inherently
non-linear
nature
of
the
massive
halo
population.
In
the
first
part
of
the
talk
I
will
put
forward
ideas
for
statistical
representations
of
the
cluster
population
aimed
at
improving
interpretability,
computational
speed,
and
discovery
potential.
A
dual-quadratic
halo
mass
function
(DQ-HMF)
with
eight
free
parameters
plays
a
central
role.
In
the
second
(shorter)
part
of
the
talk
I
will
highlight
a
new
effort
underway
at
Michigan,
the
Program
in
Computing
for
the
Arts
and
Sciences,
that
aims
to
provide
a
broad
education
in
computing/digital
studies
to
liberal
arts
students
through
lenses
of
justice,
expression,
and
discovery.
