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DAILY NEWS AND INFORMATION
FOR THE GLOBAL GRID COMMUNITY /
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Applications:
FERMILAB EXPERTS HELP BRING GRID
TO CLASSROOMS
The Grid, a global network of computational power with a potential some
have
likened to that of the Internet, is coming to the classroom. At the Needs
Assessment & Developers Workshop for Grid Techniques in Introductory Physics
Classroom Projects, held at Florida International University on Jan. 28 and
29, educators, researchers and scientists met to discuss how students of
introductory physics might tap into real physics data sets around the world
and collaborate on its analysis over the Internet. Marge Bardeen, a workshop
organizer and the head of the Education Office at the Department of Energy's
Fermilab, said. "It's important to understand teachers' needs. What are the
opportunities and limitations? It's nice to be doing this Grid workshop now,
because it helps when everybody gets in on the ground floor."
The workshop was sponsored by CHEPRO, the Center for High Energy Physics
Research & Education Outreach; the Computing Division at the Fermi National
Accelerator Laboratory; the United States Compact Muon Solenoid Collaboration;
and the Education & Outreach Center run by GriPhyN, the Grid Physics Network,
and iVDGL, the international Virtual Data Grid Laboratory.
The Grid concept comes from the electricity grid. Grid developers picture a
world where people can plug into the network and use as much computation as
they need, just like with electricity. Users around the world will share their
computational power, data storage capabilities and scientific instruments as
if they formed one large computer. As the standards and technology develop,
educators hope to tap into the system and harness its capabilities for their
students.
During the workshop, teachers of introductory physics discussed how Grid
tools
and techniques could meet the instructional needs of their classrooms. The
coordinators gathered recommendations for project characteristics that would
help teachers to integrate such projects into their courses. They also
discussed whether additional computer resources at schools and colleges would
be required to support these projects and the level of programming skill and
interest of students.
Developers of Grid applications then analyzed the results of the teachers'
needs assessment and drafted guidelines for developing a common environment
for Grid education projects. They also outlined roles that undergraduate and
high school students might play in developing code for these projects.
Many groups with an interest and stake in developing educational and
outreach
components for their experiments or Grid projects already have such efforts
under way. One project at Fermilab allows students to use Fermilab data to
calculate the mass of the top quark. The potential for Grid tools and
techniques to affect introductory physics education efforts is significant, by
providing shared analysis tools, data and results, and to support improved
peer-to-peer collaboration. Building quality Grid resources for introductory
physics students and teachers strengthens the case for further development of
the Grid infrastructure.
"This grass–roots effort, built collaboratively from shared resources and
tools, allows us to construct something greater than any single project could
accomplish in isolation," workshop coordinator Ed Moyer of the Illinois
Mathematics and Science Academy said. "By taking the lead in this
collaboration, we shape what the Grid could become."
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