Computational Physics
In the past computational physics has been considered sub-discipline within theoretical physics. However, many in the field have realized the fundamentally different approach to science at our disposal. As a result, the American Physical Society has accepted the computational method as a co-equal third branch in physics alongside experiment and theory. In addition, many of the methods developed within computational physics have fundamental similarities to problems encountered in many other research fields. This enables previously unparalleled interdisciplinary collaborations thereby widening the scope of our applications and focus of interest.
The computational method, while often merely associated with participation of a computer in the solution finding process, is more so focused on the development of systematic algorithms. In doing so it often supplements or replaces analytical approaches. In the field of physics we therefor often find ourselves facing a two-pronged challenge: Complex problems often require us to adapt or develop suitable theories on one hand and find appropriate numerical techniques.
Education
The fundamentally new approach to science, while already widely employed within the research field, will have to be adopted in our educational curricula. Todays students are much more familiar with computers and often show an interest in the field. At this point in time however, we are still at the beginning of this intriguing scientific method and it will take coordinated efforts of the research community in not only the sciences but the arts and humanities alike to open this novel approach to students. There are several projects in the works which hopefully will help in the furtherance of the field:
Shodor - Resource for computational science education.
Computational Science Education Project (CSEP) - An electronic book for teaching Computational Science and Engineering by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Computational Physics course - Online materials by Angus MacKinnon at the Imperial College London.
Numerical tools
A significant part of my own work involves various computational aspects. This includes the development of new code and implementation thereof on various platforms. Below is a collection of various useful information which I often find myself reaching for. They cover a large range of aspects involved spanning from programming languages to hard ware platforms.