This document summarizes a partnership between IBM's TryScience and World Community Grid programs to teach students about grid computing. Through interactive online and offline activities on TryScience's website, students can learn about grid technology by contributing their unused computer power to humanitarian research projects through World Community Grid. Over 100,000 members have donated over 19,000 years of computing time for projects like disease research. The activities aim to both educate students about grid computing and encourage them to participate in World Community Grid.

1. IBM Corporate Community Relations
The Grid for Kids!
“The W orld Community
Grid module is a terrific
addition to the TryScience
W site. Activities — such
eb
as Team Planet and
GridMaster — are a
dynamic and fun way
to introduce the grid’s
exciting, innovative
technology. At the same
time, students become
familiar with the potential
global impact of this
technology, the importance
World Community Grid is now featured on www.tryscience.org — the world’s first global science museum.
of civic involvement and
giving back to their
Two key IBM community programs — The Grid features ThinkTank, an online
communities.”
TryScience and IBM World Community activity in which students help fight
Grid — are teaming together in an
™
pollution, find cures for cancer and Robin Willner
exciting partnership that teaches both smallpox, and forecast hurricanes as vice president
IBM Global Community Initiatives
technology and community. they learn the difference between a
personal computer, a supercomputer
TryScience now features The Grid, and grid computing. In another
interactive online and offline activities interactive, Grid Master, students
inspired by World Community must prioritize
Grid, that are designed to teach projects — from
students about grid computing in the search for
an engaging manner. The Grid also extraterrestrial life to stopping the
encourages students to join World spread of the avian flu — for a grid to
Community Grid, contributing their tackle before time runs out.
unused computer time to benefit
humanitarian research.
www.tryscience.org
www.worldcommunitygrid.org

2. Activities for teachers, students About World Community Grid
Offline activities, contributed by the Launched by IBM Corporation in
University of Northern Iowa, The November 2004, World Community
Shodor Education Foundation, Inc., Grid uses grid technology to harness
and World Community Grid, provide the plentiful, underutilized resource of
activities that teachers can implement PCs and laptops worldwide to support
in their classrooms to teach students humanitarian research.
about grid computing, while also using
Technology making a global difference:
their math and science skills. A few facts about World Community Grid
In a little less than a year:
• Approximately 100,000 members Individuals, including students, can
have joined World Community Grid contribute their unused computer
time by joining World Community Grid
• More than 19,000 years of computing
time has been donated at www.worldcommunitygrid.org. World
Community Grid is easy, safe and
• Significant research has been
free to use.
done on World Community Grid’s
first research project, the Human
GridMaster exercises allow students to apply Proteome Folding Project
grid technology to help predict global disasters
such as the potential eruptions of Mount Check out www.worldcommunitygrid.org
Vesuvius, Italy.
to learn about new research projects
you can join.
“The World Community Grid module
is a terrific addition to the TryScience
Web site. Activities — such as Team About TryScience
Planet and GridMaster — are a TryScience (www.tryscience.org), a
dynamic and fun way to introduce the collaboration of the New York Hall of © Copyright IBM Corporation 2005
grid’s exciting, innovative technology,” Science, IBM, and the more than 450 Produced in the United States of America
11-05
said Robin Willner. “At the same member institutions of the Association All Rights Reserved
time, students become familiar with of Science-Technology Centers, opens IBM, the IBM logo and World Community Grid
the potential global impact of this a world of science and discovery to are trademarks of International Business
Machines Corporation in the United States, other
technology, the importance of civic students, who otherwise would have countries or both.
involvement and giving back to no access to the best museums Other company, product and service names
their communities.” around the globe. The site provides may be trademarks or service marks of others.
interactive exhibits, multimedia References in this publication to IBM products
or services do not imply that IBM intends to
adventures and live camera “field make them available in all countries in which
trips,” as well as hands-on science IBM operates.
projects that children, parents and This publication contains non-IBM Internet
addresses. IBM is not responsible for
teachers can do at home or in school. information found at these Web sites.
Contact: Catherine Collins
IBM Corporation
646 598-5507
ckc@us.ibm.com
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