Oops, my bad - that was a 8 month old article. -S
> -----Original Message----- > From: Stephen Guerin [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2008 6:21 PM > To: 'The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group' > Subject: [FRIAM] State Supercomputer ribbon cutting > > State's supercomputer a catalyst for research, education, > economy > http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Not_just_a_high_tech_toy > > Gazing at the green and yellow flashing lights of the third > fastest supercomputer in the world, Lorie Liebrock, a > computer science professor at New Mexico Tech, explained its > coolness factor by comparing it with a building. > > On the surface, a building doesn't seem much more than > concrete and glass, maybe some rebar, she said. > > But a building actually is much more than that. > > There are water systems, electrical systems, sewage systems, > calculations of how the building will respond to windstorms > and dust storms. There are people inside the building - > cooking, talking, living. There's wear and tear over time, > reactions to heat and cold, Liebrock said. > > To think about all those factors working at the same time in > a single system is more than the human brain can do - and > more than most computers can do. > > But the $11 million computer system the state has constructed > at Intel in Rio Rancho can. > > It can do that and a trillion other things - all dictated by > scientists, engineers and students at New Mexico's > businesses, research universities, colleges and high schools, > Liebrock said. > > And that idea had her grinning and speed-talking about the > system at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday afternoon. > > "One of the big problems in supercomputing is visualization - > how do we get that information to a human being?" Liebrock > said. "In an example like the building, I've got millions of > numbers, but what does that mean to you? Nothing. With this, > we can do much bigger, much larger problems and also find > ways for people to visually understand how those problems work." > > The computer has been installed but not yet calibrated. It > won't be fully operational until the end of June, although > some research will begin on it next month. > > When the supercomputer is up and running, the state plans to > use it as a catalyst to encourage young people to go into > science careers and as a tool for economic development, Gov. > Bill Richardson told the crowd at the ceremony. > "We're very serious about developing our high-tech economy," > he said. "We're hearing from companies all over the country > that want to do business with us." > > Richardson said he foresees the system fostering statewide > water modeling projects, forest fire simulations, city > planning and the development of new products, and as a lure > to bring more high-tech industry to New Mexico. "It is not > simply a high-tech toy for elite scientists," the governor > said. "This project invests in our future." > > The supercomputer, named Encanto, which is Spanish for > "enchanted," was built through a $14 million appropriation > from the 2007 Legislature. > > The computer cost $11 million, and the other $3 million will > be used to set up "gateways" where people across New Mexico > can access it. The first gateways will be at the state's > three research universities: The University of New Mexico, > New Mexico Tech and New Mexico State University. And more are > being discussed for other parts of the state, including one > at Santa Fe Community College, said Thomas Bowles, > Richardson's science adviser. > > The New Mexico Computing Applications Center, which is the > overarching title for the effort, also is trying to get a > $5.8 million special appropriation for operations and > equipment from the Legislature to add more gateways, fund > staff and some research projects, and cover the annual > operating costs of $1.9 million, Bowles said. > > The Computing Applications Center also is hoping that the > Research Applications Act, House Bill 262, sponsored by Rep. > John A. Heaton, D-Carlsbad, will pass this session. The bill, > which is in the House Business and Industry Committee, would > set up how the facility will operate and switch its management to a > 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that could charge companies > for use of the system. > > That is how the project will become self-sufficient at the > end of five years, said Liebrock, who also is the center's > interim education director. > > "Other supercomputers like this in other states are all paid > for by those states," she said. "This one is unique; it will > be self-sustaining. Other states can't say that." > > Students at New Mexico's high schools and colleges will be > able to create research projects and use the supercomputer > free, said Reed Dasenbrock, secretary of the state's Higher > Education Department. "We badly need more scientists and > engineers in this country," he said. "Kids like neat things, > and this is a neat thing." > > Liebrock said she imagines high-school and perhaps even > middle-school students getting involved with the > supercomputer through simulations of things like the spread > of epidemics. "In a model, they could change people's > behavior or the policy and then see how that changes the way > an epidemic spreads," she said. > > The students also could play with New Mexico's power grid and > do things such as remove the state's coal-fired power plants > and replace them with solar to see how well the grid stands > up, Liebrock said. "There's so much we can do with it," > she said, waving her hand at Encanto. "I have a group of > students that really want to see what that thing can do." > > --- -. . ..-. .. ... .... - .-- --- ..-. .. ... .... > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > www.Redfish.com > my del.icio.us links: http://del.icio.us/redfishgroup > 624 Agua Fria Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501 > mobile: (505)577-5828 > office: (505)995-0206 > London: +44 (0) 20 7993 4769 > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org > > ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
