Verification and Validation in Scientific Computing (Virtual Classroom)

Topics covered in this course include:

Introduction, Background, and Motivation

• Terminology and Fundamental Concepts
• Brief history of terminology
• Present definitions and interpretations
• Alternate definitions used by related communities
• Additional important terms
• Who should conduct verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification?

Code Verification

• Software engineering
• Criteria and definitions
• Order of accuracy
• Order of verification procedures
• Traditional exact solutions
• Method of manufactured solutions
• Approximate solution methods

Solution Verification

• Round-off error
• Iterative convergence
• Iterative error estimation
• Classification of discretization error estimators
• Reliability of discretization error estimators
• Discretization error and uncertainty estimation
• Solution adaption procedures

Validation Experiments

• Validation fundamentals
• Validation experiment hierarchy
• Validation experiments vs. traditional experiments
• Six characteristics of validation experiments
• Detailed example of a wind tunnel validation experiment

Model Accuracy Assessment

• What are validation metrics?
• Various approaches to validation metrics
• Recommended characteristics for validation metrics
• Confidence interval approach
• Cumulative distribution functions approach

Predictive Capability of Modeling and Simulation

• Identify all sources of uncertainty
• Characterize each source of uncertainty
• Estimate solution error in system responses of interest
• Estimate uncertainty in system responses of interest
• Procedures for updating model parameters
• Types of sensitivity analyses

Final Topics

• Planning and prioritization in modeling and simulation
• Maturity assessment of modeling and simulation
• Difficulties in implementing verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification (VVUQ)

William Oberkampf, Ph.D.,  is an engineering consultant with 50 years of experience in research and development in fluid dynamics, heat transfer, flight dynamics, and solid mechanics.  He spent his entire career in both computational and experimental areas.  During the last 25 years, Dr. Oberkampf emphasized research and development in methodologies and procedures for verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification in computational simulations.  He has written over 190 journal articles, book chapters, conference papers, and technical reports. He has taught 55 short courses in the field of verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification. 

Dr. Oberkampf received his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering in 1966 from the University of Notre Dame, his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1968, and his Ph.D. in 1970 in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.  Dr. Oberkampf served on the faculty of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Austin for nine years.  After 29 years of service in both staff member and management positions at Sandia National Laboratories, he retired as a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff.  Since this time, he has been a consultant to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. Air Force, various Department of Energy laboratories, and corporations in the U.S. and Europe. He is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and NAFEMS.

Christopher Roy, Ph.D.,  Virginia Tech, holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University, an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University, and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from North Carolina State University.  From 1998 to 2003, he worked as a senior member of the technical staff in the Engineering Sciences Center at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  From 2003 to 2007, he was an Assistant Professor in the Aerospace Engineering Department at Auburn University. 

In 2007, Dr. Roy joined the Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Department at Virginia Tech and currently holds the rank of full professor.  He has written over 200 journal articles, books, book chapters, conference papers, and technical reports in the areas of verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification.  He has taught over 50 short courses in the field of verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification.