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.

Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC – 250.960.5622