UNBC Hosts High-Performance Computing Conference
May 5, 2005 for immediate release
Applications of state-of-the-art computing technology to
research will be demonstrated during a conference at UNBC on May 13.
The University’s high-performance computing (HPC) facility –
the most powerful computing centre in the region – will be showcased during the
conference, along with presentations about the kinds of research that the
facility is supporting. The processing power of the HPC allows researchers to
build large, three-dimensional models and/or manipulate large amounts of
information. Research in chemistry, mathematics, natural resource management,
computer science, and atmospheric sciences is currently being conducted in the
HPC facility.
“We’ve had great usage of the facility with about 50 faculty
and students using it on various projects,” says Peter Jackson, the leader of
the research team that initially created the HPC lab. His own research involves
using the computing facility to model wind currents that are responsible for
transporting the mountain pine beetle over large distances. It’s expected that
the research could help foresters and communities predict where the pine beetle
will appear next.
The keynote speaker at the conference will be Michael Hrybyk,
President of BCNet, the province’s foremost leader in advanced network
technology. For example, BCNet provides the telecommunications infrastructure
supporting the distribution of lectures and labs for the Northern Medical
Program.
The high-performance computing facility was created with a
$1.2 million investment by the federal (Canada Foundation for Innovation) and
provincial (BC Knowledge Development Fund) governments. It’s expected that a $2
million enhancement to the facility will be complete by this fall.
The annual HPC conference will be held on May 13th, in the
Bentley Centre, starting at 10am.
Contact:
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations,
UNBC – 250.960.5622