Harvard IIC

The Harvard initiative in innovative computing takes as a starting ground the idea that computation is now an essential scientific instrument, and it can support collaboration across scientific disciplines. A story – albeit on the Apple web site – notes that Unix has traditionally been the choice of the scientific community and the bond has been enhanced on the Apple side since OS X. the founding project run by IIC, Astronmical Medicine, combines thinking about medical imaging and stellar imaging.Again, as described on Apple site, other projects include Data-Intensive Science and High-Capacity Scientific Databases used to better understand the structure of the early universe. The IIC’s scientists are finding new ways to deal with these massive datasets by leveraging multiple computing models including new methods for loosely coupled problems suitable for grid computing, tightly coupled problems not suitable for clusters, and problems which are dependent on massive data storage. Genepattern and the Virtual Data that mine the similarities in statistical analysis of biomedical and social science research. National Virtual Observatory Portal described as a Google-like middleware layer connecting archives of Astronomy data including images, spectra, data catalogs and journal catalogs could someday make the possibility of doing “Astronomy by database” a reality. http://www.apple.com/science/profiles/harvard/