S25 GIRS Seminars: Harnessing High-Performance and Cloud Computing for Natural Hazards Research: NSF DesignSafe and AWS in Action

When: Thursday, April 10, 2025
Time: 1:00pm PT
Where: (In-Person) UCLA Engineering 6 BLDG, Rm 580B (Online): Zoom

Silvia Mazzoni, PhD

Abstract: In recent years, access to high-performance computing (HPC) has become more user-friendly and flexible, opening new doors for natural-hazards research. This presentation explores how cloud-based resources, including Amazon Web Services (AWS) tools such as EC2 instances, Lambda functions, and S3 storage, can be effectively leveraged to accelerate data processing, modeling, and analysis.

In parallel, I will highlight the capabilities of DesignSafe—an NSF-supported cyberinfrastructure within the NHERI ecosystem—which provides streamlined access to TACC supercomputers through user-centric tools like Jupyter notebooks and custom scientific workflows.

Through a series of project examples, I will demonstrate how combining cloud and academic HPC resources can empower researchers to tackle complex hazard-related challenges more efficiently—and even enjoyably.

Short Bio: Dr. Silvia Mazzoni joined the Garrick Institute in June 2018 as a Project Scientist. She is currently working on several projects in Earthquake Engineering, where she contributes her expertise in data management, structural engineering, numerical simulation and ground-motion management. Dr. Mazzoni holds a PhD and Masters degree from University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor’s degree from University of California, San Diego.