James L. Fastook
Department of Computer Sciences
University of Maine
Neville Hall
Orono, ME 04469-5790
207-581-3927 Ph/Voicemail
207-581-3531 Fax
fastook at maine.edu
My training is in Physics, with a special interest in what I call "world physics," that is, classical problems with a global scale. I am especially interested in solving the equations which govern ice flow, and have worked extensively on the problems of numerically modeling ice sheets and glaciers. The technique I use to solve these equations is called the Finite-Element Method, which is a very general numerical technique for solving differential equations used quite extensively in engineering applications.
I am also interested in the problem of Scientific Visualization, a necessary adjunct to any modeling program, because of the need to interpret the large volume of results that stem from any modeling experiment. I work closely with several members of the Institute on problems ranging from Antarctic Ice Sheet behavior during the last glaciation, to the effects of the waxing and waning of ice sheets on the migration of humans into North America.
Fastook, J.L., 1992. A map-plane finite-element program for ice sheet reconstruction. In Computer Assisted Analysis and Modeling on the IBM 3090, K.R. Billingley, H.U. Brown, and E. Derohanes, eds., Vol. 1: 45-80, The Baldwin Press, University of Georgia, Athens.
Fastook, J.L., 1993. The finite-element method for solving conservation equations in glaciology. Computational Science and Engineering 1(1): 55-67.
Holmlund, P. and Fastook, J.L., 1993. Numerical modelling evidence of a Baltic Ice Stream during the Younger Dryas in Scandinavia. Boreas 22(2): 77-86.
Fastook, J.L. and Holmlund, P., 1994. A glaciological model of the Younger Dryas event in Scandinavia. Journal of Glaciology 40(134): 125-131.
Fastook, J.L. and Prentice, M., 1994. A finite-element model of Antarctica: Sensitivity test for meteorological mass balance relationship. Journal of Glaciology 40(134): 167-175.
Grosswald, M.L., Kuhle, M., and Fastook, J.L., 1994. Wurm glaciation of Lake Issyk-Kul area, Tian Shan Mts.: A case study in glacial history of Central Asia. GeoJournal 33(2/3): 273-310.