New lab offers creative, diverse environment

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This article was published 09/07/2018 (2640 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s a new cutting-edge research space for applied parallel computing at the University of Winnipeg. 

Recently opened, the Dr. Ezzat A. Ibrahim GPU Educational Lab is led by Dr. Christopher Henry (applied computer science) and Dr. Christopher Bidinosti (physics), who received a generous donation of $50,000 from Dr. Ibrahim to help purchase the initial equipment for the learning lab. The gracious donor is a retired professor, research scientist, nutritionist, entrepreneur and respected community leader.

“This lab will provide space for our faculty and students to explore the edges of what is possible in high-performance computing,” said U of W president and vice-chancellor Dr. Annette Trimbee. “Our students will define the future and will have an impact beyond what we can imagine today. We are grateful to Dr. Ibrahim for his donation.”

Ibrahim said the lab will be a great asset in research and collaboration that will transcend disciplines.

“It will identify and develop novel solutions for challenging problems, and has the potential to improve the world around us. As a researcher, I recognize the value and potential of this lab that will be utilized by academics, students, industry and all levels of government for future progress,” he added.

For Henry and Bidinosti, whose joint efforts helped create the laboratory, its presence will greatly enhance student life by providing equipment for world-class cutting-edge research in applied parallel computing.

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“The laboratory provides a highly creative and diverse environment for problem-solving and team-building that brings together undergraduates, graduates, postdocs, research faculty, and industry partners into one place. This laboratory offers students the opportunity to work on problems that directly link theory to practical, real-world applications. Students will — and are — benefiting greatly from this program, honing their research and problem-solving skills while working on exciting and meaningful projects,” they affirmed, adding that the lab will aid researchers, students, and local industry.

“A quiet revolution in computing has occurred, based on computer hardware that was originally created for computer gamers. The result has been the democratization of supercomputing and it is affecting all aspects of our lives, from machine learning to computational finance and everything in between. This laboratory is meant to be a focal point for training and research in this area,” Henry added.

The computing power in the new laboratory is monumental, especially when viewed from this perspective.

“If we assume that the world population is 7.6 billion people, the computational capabilities of our laboratory is equivalent to each person on earth performing 74,500 calculations (for example: addition) per second,” Henry explained.

The lab was recently showcased at the University’s Networking Conference for Industry, Academic and Government, the first of its kind in Manitoba.  

Janine LeGal
Wolseley community correspondent

Janine LeGal is a community correspondent for Wolseley. Know any interesting people, places and things in Wolseley?  Contact her at: janinelegal@gmail.com

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