Four staff members from the World Technology Evaluation Center (WTEC), which operates on contributions from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Science Foundation (NSF), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and other institutions, visited CRIEPI at the Komae Area in Tokyo on December 4 to exchange information on research using simulations. In order to explore the current state of simulation technology and future issues, WTEC is visiting major research institutions around the world to gather information. In Japan, in addition to CRIEPI, WTEC is visiting the University of Tokyo, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Toyota Motor Corporation, Sony Corporation and other organizations.

WTEC presented information from workshops on U.S. simulation-based technology and science held in Washington D.C. in November, while CRIEPI explained the published research findings of various researchers and facilities at CRIEPI. The participants discussed the state of development of simulation codes, support systems, professional development for researchers and other related matters.

The members of WTEC who visited CRIEPI were (first row, starting from the second on the left) Dr. Tom Arsenlis (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory), Professor Linda Petzold (Group Leader of Computer Science, University of California, Santa Barbara), Dr. Clark Cooper (Group Leader of Material Design and Surface Engineering, NSF), and Dr. David Nelson (WTEC Representative, formally DOE).