CHAPEL HILL, NC, March 11, 2008 – A new collaboration between melanoma researchers in the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI), and researchers from the departments of computer science, epidemiology, biostatistics, and statistics and operations research at UNC Chapel Hill aims to use image analysis techniques to aid doctors in the fight against melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. Read more
The future perfect storm
The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, the most active in recorded history, brought catastrophe to the U.S. Gulf Coast and Central America: at least 2,280 deaths from Katrina and other storms; record damages of more than $128 billion and thousands of people displaced who have yet to return home. Read more
NCEMA Conference to feature RENCI tools for disaster management
CHAPEL HILL, NC, February 27, 2008 – The 2008 North Carolina All Hazards Conference, the semi-annual meeting of the North Carolina Emergency Management Association (NCEMA), will feature a variety of projects and training programs of the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) aimed at helping emergency managers. Read more
Grant helps REALTROMINS, RENCI develop medical devices to aid critically ill children
CHAPEL HILL, NC, February 22, 2008 – Keith Kocis, a collaborator with the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI), professor of pediatrics, and M.D. in the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has received funding for further research and development of a new medical device to revolutionize how critically ill infants and children are monitored and cared for in pediatric intensive care units. Read more
Rain, snow, sleet or ice
CHAPEL HILL, NC, February 19, 2008 – Information about the atmosphere above the ground is severely lacking across North Carolina. This information, such as the temperature of the air and the type of precipitation falling aloft, is critical to short-term forecasts during hazardous weather events such as ice storms. Read more
New observation site to provide data on marine environments, climate change
CHAPEL HILL, NC, February 6, 2008–A platform to be built this spring three miles offshore in the Pamlico Sound will give researchers across North Carolina a site to conduct scientific experiments and collect environmental data that will be critical to understanding the behavior of this huge body of water, its role in North Carolina’s marine ecosystem and its response to climate change. Read more
NC counties could win weather stations through RENCI Weather Web project
CHAPEL HILL, NC, January 24, 2008 – Counties in North Carolina that lack weather stations–and therefore lack detailed weather data–will have the chance to acquire a research and operational grade weather station through a new RENCI project aimed at enhancing weather-related K-12 education and at improving the quantity and quality of weather data in underserved areas of the state. Read more
RENCI joins CineGrid digital media community
CHAPEL HILL, NC, January 23, 2008–A new RENCI partnership will give North Carolina the opportunity to contribute digital films, scientific visualizations, and filmed performances to a worldwide network of high-resolution digital media content. Read more
Google’s Michael Jones next speaker in RENCI lecture series
CHAPEL HILL, NC, January 18, 2008 – The Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) is presenting another lecture in its “Distinguished Lecture Series.” Michael Jones, chief technology advocate of Google, will speak on Feb. 21 at the FedEx Global Education Center on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Jones’ lecture, Informing the Global Information Society, will take place at 7 p.m., and will be followed by a short question and answer session and refreshments. The event is co-sponsored by UNC’s FedEx Global Education Center. Read more
Ocracoke doubles its power
CHAPEL HILL, NC–RENCI’S IBM Blue Gene®/L computing system will double its size and power in February with the addition of another 1,024 compute nodes. The upgraded system, named Ocracoke after the oldest active lighthouse in North Carolina, will consist of 2,048 compute nodes and will have a peak performance of 11.4 teraflops, meaning it will be capable of more than 11 trillion calculations per second. Read more