Media Release

For Immediate Release

June 10, 2008

Virtual reality becomes reality as Data Cave opens at Saint Mary’s

Virtual reality became reality today as the new ACEnet Data Cave opened at Saint Mary’s University.

At a grand opening ceremony hosted by the University’s Institute for Computational Astrophysics (ICA), funding partners, companies and scientists were thanked for making the $1.5-million Data Cave facility a reality. They were also given the opportunity to see and experience the 3-D immersive virtual environment in action.

“The vision was there and we were able to follow through on that vision,” said J. Colin Dodds, President of Saint Mary’s University. “It’s absolutely fascinating to see what you can do.”

The Data Cave is a virtual reality environment that allows researchers to visualize graphic representations of phenomena based on scientific calculations. Funds for the purchase of the Data Cave were provided to ACEnet by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), with matching funds from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust.

The Atlantic Computational Excellence Network (ACEnet) is a consortium of Atlantic Canadian universities formed to acquire and operate large-scale high performance computing (HPC) facilities for research. The group includes Saint Mary's University, Memorial University of Newfoundland, University of New Brunswick, Mount Allison University, Dalhousie University, St. Francis Xavier University, the University of Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton University and Acadia University.

Dr. Chris Loomis, Vice-President of Research at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Chair of the Board of Directors for ACEnet, said research and development in today’s world is increasingly about collecting, managing and processing enormous volumes of data – and about finding new ways to model and display those complex data sets.

 “With the facility that is opening here today . . . researchers are able to visualize structures ranging from molecules to entire galaxies,” said Loomis, adding that Saint Mary’s was the natural location for the Data Cave because the University is renowned for its Astrophysics research.

The Data Cave is located on the first floor of the north end of Saint Mary’s newly renovated Science Building, and is available for use by all ACEnet members. It was installed in early summer of 2007. The 3-D visualization equipment and software that power the Data Dave are provided by Sun Microsystems Canada and Mechdyne Corporation, a leader in immersion technology.

ACEnet's goal is to provide world-class research computing facilities to help researchers realize their full potential and to allow regional universities to attract and retain the best faculty and students to Atlantic Canada. Through ACEnet, researchers have the tools to attract partnerships with private enterprise that otherwise could go to universities outside the Atlantic region.

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For more information:

Blake Patterson
Public Affairs Officer
Saint Mary's University, Public Affairs
(902) 420.5514
E-mail: blake.patterson@smu.ca
www.smu.ca