Computerworld

Ronald D. Hubbard, senior director of external relations & development in UC Irvine’s School of Physical Sciences, is among 151 laureates named recently by the Computerworld Honors Program. He was recognized for his work on a case study outlining collaboration between UCI dark particle physicists and Intel Corp.

The 22-year-old Computerworld Honors Program acknowledges visionary applications of information technology promoting positive social, economic and educational change in 10 sectors: business & related services; education & academia; environment, energy & agriculture; finance, insurance & real estate; government; healthcare; manufacturing; media, arts & entertainment; nonprofit organizations; and transportation.

Founded by International Data Group (IDG), the program – whose primary sponsor is Morgan Stanley – brings together principals of the world’s foremost information technology companies to nominate worthy individuals and organizations, who are then invited to submit case studies. This year, out of 27,000 entries worldwide, 1,500 were selected for review. Hubbard was one of seven laureates chosen from the environment, energy & agriculture category.

His study explains how Intel Xeon processors are used in the ATLAS Experiment, a dark particle physics experiment being conducted at the CERN Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, Switzerland – the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator. “I started with the basic software code benchmarks of dark particle physics and dark matter research from CERN, where UCI professor Dr. Andrew Lankford serves as deputy director of the ATLAS Experiment,” Hubbard said. “Then I drafted the case statement to translate the scientific explanations into lay terms.”

In his work on the ATLAS Experiment, Lankford standardizes how data is accumulated, analyzed and transmitted. “The products that enable Dell server nodes to work at cutting-edge efficiency are Intel Xeon processors of varying types and functions,” Hubbard explained. “Currently, the international science research community can only account for 5 percent of the dark energy and dark particles that surround our universe. The ATLAS Experiment is searching for the remaining frontiers in matter and energy that can have practical and transforming applications to make life better on a global scale.”

Case studies of the technology achievements acknowledged by the Computerworld Honors Program are preserved and protected at the U.S. National Archives and in more than 350 universities, museums and research institutions worldwide.

“The 2010 laureates showcase that innovation can thrive and excel despite trying economic conditions, demonstrating the power of information technology in promoting positive change in the world,” said Ellen Daly, senior vice president of events at IDG Enterprise. “The Computerworld foundation is proud to recognize the selected laureates.”

About the Computerworld Honors Program: Founded by International Data Group in 1988, the Computerworld Honors Program is governed by the not-for-profit Computerworld Information Technology Awards Foundation. Computerworld Honors is the longest-running global program to honor individuals and organizations that use information technology to promote positive social, economic and educational change. Additional information about the program and a global archive of past laureate case studies and oral histories can be found at the Computerworld Honors Program website.

About Computerworld: Computerworld is the leading source of technology news and information for IT influencers worldwide, providing peer perspective, IT leadership and business results. Its award-winning website, biweekly publication, focused conference series and custom research forms the hub of the world’s largest global IT media network. Computerworld is published by IDG Enterprise, a subsidiary of International Data Group, the world’s leading media, events and research company.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Led by Chancellor Michael Drake since 2005, UC Irvine is among the most dynamic campuses in the University of California system, with nearly 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 1,100 faculty and 9,000 staff. Orange County’s largest employer, UC Irvine contributes an annual economic impact of $3.9 billion. For more UC Irvine news, visit www.today.uci.edu.

News Radio: UC Irvine maintains on campus an ISDN line for conducting interviews with its faculty and experts. Use of this line is available for a fee to radio news programs/stations that wish to interview UC Irvine faculty and experts. Use of the ISDN line is subject to availability and approval by the university.