Universities Join IBM Multi-National 'LA Grid'
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 06/04/08
Calling it a "perfect living laboratory for research to advance the healthcare industry," the
Quantum Group, which provides consulting and applications for the healthcare industry, is joining 12 universities as part of
IBM's Latin American Grid (LA Grid) initiative. LA Grid (pronounced "lah grid") is comprised of a collection of human and computing resources in North America, Latin America, and Spain, working in collaboration to perform as one massive supercomputer for advanced research.
The LA Grid network, the largest academic multi-national computer grid, is already active in four universities in Florida, four in Mexico, two in Argentina, one in Puerto Rico and the Supercomputing Centers in Barcelona, Spain and San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Research includes hurricane and weather modeling, bio-tech and bio-information.
"IBM has invested in a strategy that applies the use of technology to solve societal challenges through collaboration with university and industry partners around the world," said Juan F. Caraballo, LA Grid Program Director. "The LA Grid initiative is a perfect example of this strategy and how working in a globally integrated environment can make strides toward solving major societal issues such as those encountered in healthcare. In the process, we are also contributing to the development of the next-generation of computer scientists."
American universities that are participating in LA Grid are the
University of Miami, the
University of North Florida,
Florida Atlantic University, and
Florida International University. It was launched at the end of 2005.
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.