Modeling Solar Supergranulation Steve Lantz, Astrophysics and Peter Gierasch, Astrophysics Cellular convection patterns on the sun's surface are observed to occur in several distinct sizes, the largest of which is called supergranulation. This pattern, with a horizontal scale of 30 Mm, is believed to be linked to the ionization of solar gases occurring at a comparable depth. The student will assist in extending the capabilities of a hydrodynamic simulation code to take into account the thermodynamic effects of ionization zones. He or she will be expected to develop skills in scientific parallel programming for the IBM SP and apply basic visualization techniques using IBM's Data Explorer.