College using high-tech computers for research
Leading-edge technology will hopefully lead to speedier research practices and potential scientific breakthroughs.
The Ministry of Research and Innovation is investing $10.9 million in the University of Western Ontario's (UWO) Shared Hierarchical Academic Research Computing Network (SHARCNET) to support 1200 researchers across the province.
“By supporting emerging technologies, the government is creating more high-value jobs and bringing investment into the region,” said Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Chris Bentley, who made the announcement on behalf of Premier Dalton McGuinty.
“Our government is doing its part to ensure future prosperity and a high quality of life for Ontario families.”
The state-of-the-art high-performance-computing facilities are hundreds or thousands of times faster than a regular desktop computer. A Canadian researcher using SHARCNET can produce results in a single day, which would normally take a year or more on a personal computer.
Led by the UWO, the network is made up of 16 partner research institutions, including Fanshawe College. Howard Rundle, president of Fanshawe said SHARCNET has been very influential for research conducted at the college.
“SHARCNET has been extremely important to both research and student projects at the college. Both faculty and students have leveraged SHARCNET's infrastructure to aid in their research endeavors,” Rundle said. “From an educational standpoint, students have benefited from the opportunity to explore techniques, such as genetic algorithms, that they otherwise would not have experienced.”
J.J. Strybosch, coordinator for the Information Technology department at Fanshawe College said that Fanshawe uses the fiber-optic technology of SHARCNET to do various projects including a research project aimed at creating a new grade-point-average (GPA) system for students.
“It's different then anyone else,” Strybosch said of the GPA research project. “We used imaginary electronic students, a system of complicated mathematical calculations, and statistics based on student performance to help with the new GPA system. In the future we will solicit data from other schools, to compare the effects on students, this is all using SHARCNET technology.”
Partner institutions house the computer clusters and run the network, providing high-performance computing resources to researchers across Canada. SHARCNET supports some of Canada's pre-eminent academics in a variety of fields, including strategies to combat mad cow disease.
“Supporting successful research at Ontario's post-secondary institutions strengthens the quality research talent that enters the workforce,” said McGuinty. “Our government knows that success means more highly skilled people working in a more robust and productive economy.”
Strybosch said students in the Computer Programming Analyst (CPA) program at Fanshawe College are reaping the benefits from the SHARCNET technology.
“It is very valuable to the CPA students,” Strybosch said. “They are gaining exposure to parallel programs, something that only grad-students in universities normally get access to.”
The SHARCNET technology is available to any faculty member that wishes to conduct research conducive to benefiting their program or the College as well.
“We encourage faculty, from any program in the College, to use it and take advantage of the technology,” Strybosch said.
The Ministry of Research and Innovation is investing $10.9 million in the University of Western Ontario's (UWO) Shared Hierarchical Academic Research Computing Network (SHARCNET) to support 1200 researchers across the province.
“By supporting emerging technologies, the government is creating more high-value jobs and bringing investment into the region,” said Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Chris Bentley, who made the announcement on behalf of Premier Dalton McGuinty.
“Our government is doing its part to ensure future prosperity and a high quality of life for Ontario families.”
The state-of-the-art high-performance-computing facilities are hundreds or thousands of times faster than a regular desktop computer. A Canadian researcher using SHARCNET can produce results in a single day, which would normally take a year or more on a personal computer.
Led by the UWO, the network is made up of 16 partner research institutions, including Fanshawe College. Howard Rundle, president of Fanshawe said SHARCNET has been very influential for research conducted at the college.
“SHARCNET has been extremely important to both research and student projects at the college. Both faculty and students have leveraged SHARCNET's infrastructure to aid in their research endeavors,” Rundle said. “From an educational standpoint, students have benefited from the opportunity to explore techniques, such as genetic algorithms, that they otherwise would not have experienced.”
J.J. Strybosch, coordinator for the Information Technology department at Fanshawe College said that Fanshawe uses the fiber-optic technology of SHARCNET to do various projects including a research project aimed at creating a new grade-point-average (GPA) system for students.
“It's different then anyone else,” Strybosch said of the GPA research project. “We used imaginary electronic students, a system of complicated mathematical calculations, and statistics based on student performance to help with the new GPA system. In the future we will solicit data from other schools, to compare the effects on students, this is all using SHARCNET technology.”
Partner institutions house the computer clusters and run the network, providing high-performance computing resources to researchers across Canada. SHARCNET supports some of Canada's pre-eminent academics in a variety of fields, including strategies to combat mad cow disease.
“Supporting successful research at Ontario's post-secondary institutions strengthens the quality research talent that enters the workforce,” said McGuinty. “Our government knows that success means more highly skilled people working in a more robust and productive economy.”
Strybosch said students in the Computer Programming Analyst (CPA) program at Fanshawe College are reaping the benefits from the SHARCNET technology.
“It is very valuable to the CPA students,” Strybosch said. “They are gaining exposure to parallel programs, something that only grad-students in universities normally get access to.”
The SHARCNET technology is available to any faculty member that wishes to conduct research conducive to benefiting their program or the College as well.
“We encourage faculty, from any program in the College, to use it and take advantage of the technology,” Strybosch said.
