Bellerophon Environment for Analysis of Materials (BEAM) Java Swing Desktop Client Application

BEAM enables material scientists to easily access and utilize high performance computing, machine learning algorithms, cloud-based data management, and robust visualization.

As a Technical Staff Member at ORNL, Eric Lingerfelt of Pandia Software led the design and development of the Bellerophon Environment for Analysis of Materials (BEAM). BEAM enables scientists at DOE User Facilities, such as ORNL’s Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences and Spallation Neutron Source, to leverage the integrated computational and analytical power of ORNL’s Compute And Data Environment for Science (CADES) and the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) to perform near real-time scalable machine learning workflows and data analysis. At the core of this computational workflow system is a web and data server located at CADES that enables multiple, concurrent users to securely upload and manage data, execute machine learning workflows, and interactively explore results through custom visualization services. BEAM’s long-term data management capabilities utilize CADES’ petabyte-scale file system and enable users to easily manipulate remote directories and uploaded data in their private data storage area as if they were browsing on a local workstation. In addition, the framework facilitates user workflow needs by enabling integration of scalable machine learning algorithms and authenticated, “push-button” execution of dynamically generated workflows employing these algorithms on Titan, Eos, and Rhea at OLCF, as well as compute clusters at CADES. BEAM supports machine learning workflows that execute parameterization, principal component analysis, k-means clustering, and image denoising of SPM and STEM data (developed in collaboration with ORNL’s Institute for Functional Imaging of Materials) using a variety of high performance computing implementations including FORTRAN, R with pdbR, Python, and Java with Apache Spark – all tightly bound with parallel HDF5. In addition, BEAM offers near real-time optimization of inelastic and quasi-elastic neutron scattering data utilizing Titan (developed in collaboration with the ACUMEN project and ORNL’s Center for Accelerating Materials Modeling).