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<P><FONT SIZE=2>Happy to see I'm not the only one to think along these lines.<BR>
<BR>
This year, with my class of 17-year-old science and technology strudents, the entire CS program is applied to, around and through a mini-beowulf we're building. Subjects such as (inter)networking, programming and 3D modelling (with Povray) lend themselves very nicely to such use. I also have my collegues teaching Mathematics, Biology and Industrial Drawing rather excited about the project.<BR>
<BR>
It is also agreeable to our lords and masters, as the materials used are recycled: both cheap (!) and politically satisfactory.<BR>
<BR>
This Monday 30th, we've arranged a class day trip to Barcelona to see the Marenostrum at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center - who have been very open and helpful in this respect.<BR>
<BR>
Alan Ward<BR>
CS teacher and responsable for ITs<BR>
Escola Andorrana - Centre de Batxillerat<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
PS: you're very lucky to have found a school where computers are replaced so often.<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
-----Missatge original-----<BR>
De: beowulf-bounces@beowulf.org en nom de H.Vidal, Jr.<BR>
Enviat el: dv. 27/01/2006 04:25<BR>
Per a: beowulf@beowulf.org<BR>
Tema: [Beowulf] about clusters in high schools<BR>
<BR>
Howdy.<BR>
<BR>
My son attends a Science and Tech focused high school here in beautiful<BR>
New Jersey. This is a pretty neat place for a high school, about 70%<BR>
of the faculty has their PhD Kids take about 2-4 semesters of physics<BR>
and chemistry, there are lots of computers, they teach Scheme as well<BR>
as C++, Java, etc. Freshmen get the option of taking things like Number<BR>
Theory. Interesting place.<BR>
<BR>
However, I have a thought. There is, to my knowledge, essentially<BR>
zero exposure to high-performance computing at this school. And I<BR>
think this is a mistake.<BR>
<BR>
My thinking is this. I have observed that in materials science,<BR>
in medical imaging, in genetics, even in theoretical mathematical<BR>
studies, these days you see a lot of applied high-performance<BR>
computing. I get the impression (back me up here if it's otherwise)<BR>
that skills in high-performance computing have a fair amount<BR>
of value, and are growing in terms of overall industry demand.<BR>
<BR>
Yet smart kids really have very little exposure to these classes of<BR>
problems, even if there are exposed to the problems themselves.<BR>
These kids can take a class in genomics, and they even learn about<BR>
some classes of problems in genomics or proteomics where you<BR>
need to run large mathematical problems to get 'concrete results'<BR>
towards practical studies or applications in the problem domain, but<BR>
they are kept far from actual hands-on or low (or even high)<BR>
level theory in terms of actual implementations or even<BR>
engineering considerations WRT HPC.<BR>
<BR>
Yet they have *rooms* full of computers doing nothing, fully<BR>
networked. (there's always lots of rooms of unused computers<BR>
in places like these, I have found, because they basically keep<BR>
upgrading to new hardware every year or two. Each summer,<BR>
the hallways are nearly impassable due to stacks and stacks<BR>
(not kidding) of computers to be thrown out or recycled).<BR>
<BR>
So I have convinced the faculty at this school that HPC<BR>
is enough of a valuable study, even a strategic interest, that<BR>
sharp kids like these really should be educated in the ins and outs<BR>
of high performance computing. In general, HPC; in particular, our<BR>
good friends, the Beowulf clusters.<BR>
<BR>
I would like to get real feedback from students, engineers and<BR>
scientists on this list about this broad idea: is it useful to expose<BR>
young engineer and scientists-to-be to HPC at the high school<BR>
level, in generaly, but especially if these kids are on track<BR>
to be the next generation of users of this tech? If so, what is a decent<BR>
route to take when it comes to this as a HS level scholastic pursuit?<BR>
<BR>
So there you go, I have thrown out the first chip. Any takers to place<BR>
a comment or two?<BR>
<BR>
Thanks in advance for your collective wisdom and help.<BR>
<BR>
H. Vidal, Jr.<BR>
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