Calvin Receives Grant to Build Supercomputer

Joel Adams, a Calvin College computer science professor, has received a $205,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to build a supercomputer.

The new computer will replace OHM-the supercomputer Calvin computer science professors and students built six years ago with money from the same source.

“As desktop computers get faster and faster, our supercomputer is staying the same speed. It’s still useful for teaching, but less and less useful for research,” says Adams.

A supercomputer, Adams explains, is not one computer but a cluster of computers linked through a network that enables them to function as a whole. The productivity of such a system is possible because each component of a supercomputer-each individual computer-is able to work on a different piece of a complex problem.

“Imagine that your problem is eating one of those giant 18-slice pizzas, and that you’re working on this problem alone,” Adams posits. “How long is it going to take you to eat all 18 slices by yourself? Whereas, if you have 17 friends over and all of you take on the problem of eating that pizza, it will be gone in a minute or two.”

Like its predecessor, the new OHM will log a lot of research hours.

Already, two more Calvin professors, one working in quantum physics and one simulating electrical systems aboard ships are planning to crunch research numbers with OHM II.

Students will help to build the second edition of OHM, which is a valuable learning experience, Adams says.

For the full story, click here.