Today’s leading edge R&E networks are changing the face of computation and analysis. New computational models have emerged, and access to enormous quantities of information from remote devices has been enabled.

Distributed data storage, with instantaneous access to global information resources and large scale computation capabilities, is now possible through globally-leading R&E networks, like ORION.

Mark J. Dietrich, Executive Vice President and CEO, Ontario Research and Development Challenge Fund chairs a major session at the R&E Summit, “Big Science – Big Networks”, on June 14, which brings together a high-powered panel that will explore the current state of high-performance computational support and infrastructure in Ontario, and the impact that an advanced collaborative infrastructure and R&E network can have on Ontario’s standing in the world of science and research.

The session features Ken Knox, CEO of the MaRS Discovery District Project and acknowledged leader in Canada’s broader R&D community, who will share insight on the need for greater collaboration among private and public sector partners, to advance research and scientific discovery, and enhance opportunities for commercialization of research.

Bringing a sharp focus to this session will be representatives of two of Canada’s most powerful high-performance computing projects, located right here in Ontario. Dr. Ken Edgecombe, Executive Director of HPCVL, the high-performance computing facility at Queen’s University in Kingston, and Prof. Mike Bauer, Principal Investigator with SHARCNET, the large scale distributed computing project in Southwest Ontario, are both scheduled to participate in this panel.

Rounding out the panel are two of Canada’s top researchers currently involved in collaborative networking in advanced research, Alain Bellerive, CRC Chair in Experimental Particle Physics, Carleton University and with the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory project, and Prof. Bob Orr of the University of Toronto, who will present on High Speed Networking and Grid Computing in High Energy Particle Physics.