1 Toward Object-Oriented Parallel Finite Element Computations Shang-Hsien Hsieh, 1 Elisa D. Sotelino, 2 Donald W. White, 3 and Wai-Fah Che 4 School of Civil Engineering 1284 Civil Engineering Building, Purdue University West Lafayette, IN 47907-1284, U. S. A. Abstract Research on an object-oriented application framework for parallel finite element computations is currently underway in the School of Civil Engineering at Purdue University. The main goal of this research is to facilitate reuse and rapid prototyping of a wide variety of parallel finite element software in Structural Engineering applications. The framework is being developed by taking advantage of the object-oriented methodologies supported by C++ as well as recent advances in parallel computing. This paper gives an overview of the ongoing research effort by highlighting several reusable components that have been or are being developed within the target framework. 1. Introduction The finite element method has been widely utilized to solve engineering applications because of its ability to model complex structural geometries and material properties, and its adaptability to high-performance computation. However, the timely development of high-quality finite element software is still a 1 Postdoctoral Research Associate; The presenting author; E-mail: sshsieh@ecn.purdue.edu; Tel : (317)496-1822; Fax : (317)496-1105. 2 Assistant Professor of Structural Engineering 3 Associate Professor of Structural Engineering 4 G. E. Goodwin Distinguished Professor of Structural Engineering