As a computer sits unused in a dorm room or office, a free program available online can contribute the idle energy to research for cures for diseases such as tuberculosis.
IBM has unveiled the World Community Grid, a program designed to cut down on research time and increase cost-effectiveness for the companies who sponsor the projects, IBM spokeswoman Catherine Collins said, adding that anyone with access to the Internet can download the program into their computer.
"The more people we get signed up for this, the more research we can get done," Collins said.
Collins said because of the amount of computers at a university, MSU is an ideal place to implement the program.
Downloading the free World Grid software connects a user to the grid, IBM spokesman Clint Roswell said. The software acts as a screen saver, which detects when a user is idle. When it is, the program utilizes the extra energy by computing data on specific, requested projects. It then sends the calculations back to an aggregate grid ran in part by United Devices, Inc., a grid solutions company.
At the aggregate grid, research companies such as the Institute for Systems Biology can access the pieces of the calculations and put them together as part of a larger equation, much like a supercomputer, Roswell said.
The first project of the World Grid is sponsored by the Institute for Systems Biology, a nonprofit research institute. It is looking into the Human Proteome Folding Project, in an effort to determine how proteins are coded by genome sequences. This could help lead to new treatments and possibly a cure for diseases such as tuberculosis or malaria, Roswell said.
"The technology is now in our possession that it can help solve the complex social issues we have," he said.
Roswell added that IBM has taken the most careful steps in assuring safety for users, which includes allowing users not to have to give any personal information to sign up for the program.
He said IBM and United Devices, Inc. have partnered before to work on research to analyze drug molecules in search of a treatment for smallpox. IBM delivered the results to the U.S. Department of Defense for further study in late 2003.
"The research time they estimated for that project was two-and-a-half years," Roswell said. "It was reduced to three months because of the supercomputer."
Bill Punch, associate professor of computer science and engineering, said he was unsure of a university-wide effort to implement the program, but said this type of program is a great application of computer technology.
"A lot of researchers are doing this," Punch said. "It's a wonderful idea - using our office machines to help solve world problems."
Collins said IBM hopes to complete five or six projects a year. Projects can range from disease research to predicting natural disasters to studies about the world's food supply. The criteria for interested applicants requires researchers to use the grid for humanitarian projects, Collins said.
"It has to be for the greater good," he said.
For more information, visit www.worldcommunitygrid.org
