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University Of Calgary Launches Powerful New Centre For Visual Genomics Scientists unveil first Java 3D™ technology-enabled research CAVE in the world Marshalltown, IA - February 28, 2002 - The Faculty of Medicine at the U of C is launching the Sun™ Center of Excellence for Visual Genomics – a bioinformatics facility that puts Calgary scientists at least two years ahead of the pack in research capabilities. Christoph Sensen, PhD, professor, biochemistry and molecular biology at U of C, opened the doors to the centre that will benefit students, industry collaborators and scientists studying a broad range of diseases from cancer to lupus. Click here to view a short video on the new Center of Excellence. (Note: 29MB) “This immensely powerful high-performance computing centre makes the University of Calgary research team world leaders in bioinformatics,” says Sensen. “It also enables us to attract and train outstanding graduate students who are the key to Alberta’s future in the knowledge era.” Bioinformatics is an emerging research field which organizes and maps the complex information used in life-sciences research – this involves various layers of information including the human genome sequence, the structure of cells, and the composition of proteins and DNA. “Sun Microsystems is delighted to be working with Dr. Sensen and his team at the University of Calgary which was chosen as a Sun Center of Excellence in recognition of Dr. Sensen’s bold and innovative project in computational biology,” says Stefan Unger, PhD, business development manager for computational biology, Sun Microsystems, Inc. “This COE and Java 3D technology-enabled CAVE system will offer new insights into the complexities of genomic data.” A pivotal feature of the new centre is a fully immersive (walk in) display environment, with four projection walls. This Java 3D technology-enabled CAVE® – a first in the world – will immerse scientists in three-dimensional models of biological systems, including cells, tissues and entire organisms. “These computer models allow scientists to step into a virtual, 3D human body,” says Sensen. “This allows us a much more intricate understanding of human diseases and complex biological systems, thereby accelerating the pace of life-saving research and reducing the development time for new drugs.” The centre includes a high performance Sun Fire™ 6800 server, and Sun Ray™ thin clients for graduate students to access the computer network. The centre is also the first node of the Canadian Bioinformatics Resource in Alberta – a network linking universities and government research labs across Canada. Total investment into the Sun Center of Excellence for Visual Genomics to date is more than $6 million. Funding partners include Sun Microsystems, Fakespace Inc., Western Economic Diversification Canada, the Alberta Science and Research Authority, the Alberta Network for Proteomics Innovation, Genome Prairie and the University of Calgary. For more information contact: Christoph Sensen, PhD, at (403) 220-4301, csensen@ucalgary.ca ### About Mechdyne Corporation Mechdyne Corporation is the world’s largest company dedicated to consulting and development of immersive, networked and collaborative visualization systems. The company addresses complex projects where an in-depth understanding of user requirements leads to the development of products and customized solutions involving elements of visual, software and support systems. Mechdyne’s product divisions provide advanced display technology, audio/visual systems design, and implementation services, as well as immersive and interactive software development and support. Headquartered in Marshalltown, Iowa, Mechdyne’s customers include leading government laboratories, military research programs, energy companies and a variety of ‘edutainment,’ manufacturing, and other users of visualization technology. More information is available at www.mechdyne.com. Mechdyne Press Contact Jeff Brum Matt Schmidt |
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