A Look into our Project

With advancements in technology, scientists are able to study and find cures for diseases that were distinctly out of reach without the modern equipment we have today. In recent years, a new mode of study has been introduced, one that anyone can participate in whether a graduate of medical school, recipient of a higher-level degree, or simply a high school graduate looking to make a difference. This new method is called grid-computing and can be done by anyone with a personal computer available. According to the World Community Grid, grid-computing projects consist of uniting multiple individual computers into one large system that has the ability to surpass the power of a single super computer. The project load is divided into countless parts, each running concurrently on the individual computers while the computers are on and idle. Any volunteer participant can download the grid program and once a piece of the program is assigned to that volunteer's computer, no additional work is necessary. While idle, the computer will request and receive data, carry out calculations on that data, and return the results that were discovered. Each piece of information is then contributed toward the cause of that project with the intention of completing that project. For our grid-computing project, we chose to battle the retrovirus HIV, which is linked to AIDS. We are working on the project site, FightAIDS@Home. Although none of us have a personal interest in the disease, Amber does know an HIV specialist and we are hoping to gain more insight into the disease through an interview with this individual as well as potentially a few patients. Throughout the semester we will track our progress on the project through our part of the computer program and hopefully contribute to finding the cure for AIDS.

-Kelsey, Amber, and Andrew