ACADEMIA

The LSU Center for Computation & Technology, or CCT, will host researchers from across the country and around the world for the 15th Mardi Gras Conference, Jan. 30-Feb. 2. CCT hosts this conference annually to study varying aspects of computational sciences. This year, the conference will focus on distributed computing. The Mardi Gras Conference 2008 theme is “From Lightweight Mash-ups to Lambda Grids: Understanding the Spectrum of Distributed Computing Requirements, Applications, Tools, Infrastructures, Interoperability and the Incremental Adoption of Key Capabilities.” Participants will examine the technological advances high-speed networks have enabled, discussing how both applications and cyberinfrastructure must change to create new science breakthroughs. “Researchers have studied distributed computing for years, but this field has expanded dramatically with the growth of the Internet, and now includes not just computer science and engineering disciplines, but also applications in industry, social sciences and the general public,” said CCT’s Director for Cyberinfrastructure and User Services and General Chair of the Mardi Gras Conference Daniel S. Katz. “This conference will bring together researchers who work in different areas of this field so we can examine the latest trends and understand how best to advance.” The Mardi Gras Conference will take place Wednesday, Jan. 30, through Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Hilton Capital Center in downtown Baton Rouge and features invited keynotes, peer-reviewed papers, tutorials, workshops and a poster session. Three internationally-recognized keynote speakers will address participants during the conference – Satoshi Matsuoka, Tokyo Institute of Technology; Carl Reed, Open Geospatial Consortium; and Larry Smarr, Calit2. Reduced registration is available for students, and members of the media who wish to view presentations and speak with the researchers can obtain complimentary passes to attend the event. If you are interested in attending, please contact CCT Manager of Public Relations Kristen Sunde at 225-578-3469 to obtain a press pass. To register or learn more, please visit its Web site.