The Coast-to-Coast Seminar and Remote Mathematical Collaboration Jonathan Borwein, David Langstroth, Mason Macklem, and Scott Wilson D-Drive, Dalhousie.

The Coast-to-Coast Seminar The Coast-to-Coast Seminar and Remote Mathematical and Remote Mathematical CollaborationCollaboration

Jonathan Borwein, David Langstroth, Jonathan Borwein, David Langstroth, Mason Macklem, and Scott Wilson Mason Macklem, and Scott Wilson D-Drive, Dalhousie UniversityD-Drive, Dalhousie University

Veselin JungicVeselin JungicIRMACS, Simon Fraser UniversityIRMACS, Simon Fraser University

OutlineOutline

• Describe Coast-to-Coast (or C2C) Describe Coast-to-Coast (or C2C) Seminar seriesSeminar series

• Discuss origin and developmentDiscuss origin and development

• Discuss benefits of remote seminar Discuss benefits of remote seminar seriesseries

• Detail additional upcoming seminarsDetail additional upcoming seminars

C2C SeminarC2C Seminar• Structure:Structure:

– 1-hour presentation1-hour presentation– Held every two weeksHeld every two weeks– Alternating origin: East Coast/West CoastAlternating origin: East Coast/West Coast– Attendance through a number of remote Attendance through a number of remote

sites located at various universitiessites located at various universities•Steadily increasing number of participating Steadily increasing number of participating

universities!universities!

– Wide range of Mathematical and Wide range of Mathematical and Computational topics, intended for a broad Computational topics, intended for a broad mathematical audiencemathematical audience

– Speakers physically located at their local Speakers physically located at their local university, simulcast via AccessGrid to all university, simulcast via AccessGrid to all remote locationsremote locations

C2C Seminar: HistoryC2C Seminar: History• Starting Point:Starting Point:

– CoLab (Simon Fraser University): Designed CoLab (Simon Fraser University): Designed to experiment with communicating to experiment with communicating mathematics in an interactive environmentmathematics in an interactive environment

• Further Developments:Further Developments:– WestGrid: Shared computing resources WestGrid: Shared computing resources

between Western Canadian universitiesbetween Western Canadian universities– IRMACS: New ambitious research institute IRMACS: New ambitious research institute

at SFU at SFU – D-DRIVE: CoLab-style research lab at D-DRIVE: CoLab-style research lab at

Dalhousie University (Halifax, East-Coast of Dalhousie University (Halifax, East-Coast of Canada)Canada)

SFU: CoLab (SFU: CoLab (CoCollaborative llaborative Lab)Lab)

4 tiled touch-sensitive monitors

WestGrid StationsWestGrid Stations

Shared computing resources between Universities throughout Western Canada

Goal: One ‘GridRoom’ (CoLab-style room) per university, to enable “in-person” collaboration between universities!

IRMACS: Interdisciplinary Research in IRMACS: Interdisciplinary Research in the Mathematical and Computational the Mathematical and Computational

SciencesSciences

D-Drive: Dalhousie Distributed D-Drive: Dalhousie Distributed Research Institute and Virtual Research Institute and Virtual

EnvironmentEnvironment

C2C Original Test LocationsC2C Original Test Locations

“Connected” IRMACS (SFU) and D-Drive (Dalhousie)

C2C Locations: 2006-2007C2C Locations: 2006-2007

14 Different Universities “connected”!

C2C Seminar: Past TalksC2C Seminar: Past Talks• Learning Infrastructure and Content AuthoringLearning Infrastructure and Content Authoring

– Ron Fitzgerald (President, Math Resources, Inc., Halifax)Ron Fitzgerald (President, Math Resources, Inc., Halifax)• Computational Biology of PlantsComputational Biology of Plants

– Przemyslaw Prusinkiewicz (Computer Science, University Przemyslaw Prusinkiewicz (Computer Science, University of Calgary)of Calgary)

• Solving CheckersSolving Checkers– Jonathan Schaeffer (Computing Science, University of Jonathan Schaeffer (Computing Science, University of

Alberta)Alberta)• The Inverse Protein Folding ProblemThe Inverse Protein Folding Problem

– Arvind Gupta (Computing Science, Simon Fraser Arvind Gupta (Computing Science, Simon Fraser University)University)

• The Riemann HypothesisThe Riemann Hypothesis– Peter Borwein (Executive Director, IRMACS, Simon Fraser Peter Borwein (Executive Director, IRMACS, Simon Fraser

University)University)• Learning Strategies for Underachievers in Learning Strategies for Underachievers in

MathematicsMathematics– Sherry Mantyka (Director, Mathematics Learning Centre, Sherry Mantyka (Director, Mathematics Learning Centre,

Memorial University of Newfoundland)Memorial University of Newfoundland)• Mathematical Visualization and Other Learning Mathematical Visualization and Other Learning

ToolsTools– Jonathan Borwein (D-Drive Director, Computing Science, Jonathan Borwein (D-Drive Director, Computing Science,

Dalhousie University)Dalhousie University)

C2C Sample Presentation: From C2C Sample Presentation: From D-DriveD-Drive

Presenter Video Presentation Video

Remote Audience Video

Camera Placement: Camera Placement: AudienceAudience

View of audience from behind camera

Camera Placement: PresenterCamera Placement: Presenter

Back-left of lab Back-right of lab

Technician’s Desk: D-DriveTechnician’s Desk: D-Drive

Local technicians at all sites in contact via

messaging software

C2C Sample Presentation: From C2C Sample Presentation: From IRMACSIRMACS

Local Presentation Remote Presentation

Presentation SlidesSpeaker Remote Audience

Local Camera Placement

Additional Layout: IRMACSAdditional Layout: IRMACS

Technician’s Desk

Presentation

Camera

Minimum Requirements for Minimum Requirements for ParticipationParticipation

• WebcamWebcam

• Microphone (for questions)Microphone (for questions)

• AccessGrid (software for audio and AccessGrid (software for audio and video)video)

• Local Technician (best-case Local Technician (best-case scenario)scenario)

• Participants can attend (or even Participants can attend (or even present) from their own office!present) from their own office!

Technical and Organizational Technical and Organizational DetailsDetails

• Two recent publications outlining process of Two recent publications outlining process of technical requirements and organizational lessons technical requirements and organizational lessons learned:learned:– Borwein, Jungic, Langstroth, Macklem and Wilson, “The Borwein, Jungic, Langstroth, Macklem and Wilson, “The

Coast-to-Coast Seminar”, Communicating Mathematics in Coast-to-Coast Seminar”, Communicating Mathematics in the Digital Era, AK Peters, 2007the Digital Era, AK Peters, 2007

– Borwein, Jungic, Langstroth, Macklem and Wilson, “The Borwein, Jungic, Langstroth, Macklem and Wilson, “The C2C Seminar: Five Years of Experience with the C2C Seminar: Five Years of Experience with the AccessGrid”, High Performance Computing Symposium AccessGrid”, High Performance Computing Symposium 20072007

• Preprints for both are available in the D-Drive Preprints for both are available in the D-Drive DocServer: DocServer:

http://http://docserver.cs.dal.cadocserver.cs.dal.ca

International CollaborationsInternational Collaborations

Halifax: North America, South America, Western Europe and AfricaWithin 5-hours!

Vancouver: North America, South America, Japan, Australia

All same-business-day!

How To Join!How To Join!

Contact David LangstrothContact David Langstroth

dll@cs.dal.cadll@cs.dal.ca

or Veselin Jungicor Veselin Jungic

vjungic@sfu.cavjungic@sfu.ca

for more details!for more details!

AcknowledgmentsAcknowledgments

• ACEnet, WestGrid, CFI, CANARIEACEnet, WestGrid, CFI, CANARIE

• IRMACS, D-DriveIRMACS, D-Drive

• Canada Research Chair Canada Research Chair programme, NSERC, Killam programme, NSERC, Killam TrustsTrusts

• All participating universitiesAll participating universities

• All of the C2C speakersAll of the C2C speakers