TALK ABSTRACT:
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Gravitational waves are a new type of astronomical messenger that carry 
direct information about gravitational dynamics in the universe.  This talk
will provide an overview of current and future efforts to detect these 
signals, and offer glimpses of their importance in understanding a variety 
of astrophysical systems.  A special focus of this talk will be the dynamics
of binary black holes and the gravitational waves they produce.  Efforts to 
calculate the final merger of the black holes using 3-D numerical relativity
will be highlighted, with the emphasis on current computational challenges.