CENTER FOR COMPUTATION & TECHNOLOGY

Grid Today Experts in Grid Computing from around the globe will be convening in Baton Rouge Feb. 3-5, in the Life Sciences Annex Auditorium, for the 13 th annual Mardi Gras Conference, hosted by the Center for Computation & Technology, or CCT, at LSU. The conference will cover the applications of new technologies that connect computing devices, while simultaneously introducing attendees to Southern Louisiana's unique Mardi Gras experience. The conference will draw attention to the field of Grid Computing. Grid Computing allows people and institutions in different places to network their computers and become connected in order to share information and resources. This technology allows for faster and more efficient research. It also allows researchers from various disciplines to work together on projects. Grid Computing is a fairly new subject still being researched and expanded upon, and experts in the field are excited about what is possible for the future of computing. "The Mardi Gras Conference will bring together local, national and international experts in Grid Computing to present and share research results," said Gabrielle Allen, assistant director for computing applications at the CCT and an organizer of the event. The conference will also help establish the CCT and LSU as a large and growing center for Grid Computing and technology, Allen said. This year's conference is titled "Frontiers of Grid Applications and Technologies." As Grid software becomes more mature and reliable, new applications are necessary so that computers worldwide will be "speaking the same language," Allen said. Thus researchers are coming together at this year's Mardi Gras Conference to concentrate on exploring these new applications. The keynote speakers at this year's conference are Paul Avery, professor-at-large in the physics department at the University of Florida; Andrew A. Chien, director of the Center for Networked Systems at the University of California-San Diego; and Edward Seidel, director of the Center for Computation & Technology at LSU. Conference attendees also have the opportunity to take a break from the lectures to enjoy the Mardi Gras festivities in New Orleans. A bus trip to New Orleans is scheduled on Saturday afternoon to catch the Endymion parade. The CCT at LSU is an interdisciplinary research environment for advancing computational sciences, technologies, and the disciplines they touch. The center's efforts are funded largely by the Louisiana Legislature's Information Technology Initiative. ###