Welcome to the August 19, 2009 edition of ACM TechNews, providing timely information for IT professionals three times a week. HEADLINES AT A GLANCE Engineering Professors Awarded $1 Million Grant to Design More Robust Computer Systems Engineering Professors Awarded $1 Million Grant to Design More Robust Computer Systems Colorado State University (08/12/09) Wilmsen, Emily Colorado State University engineering professors Tony Maciejewski, Arnold Rosenberg, and H.J. Siegel have received more than $1 million from the National Science Foundation to design more robust and dependable computing and communications systems. "Uncertainty is the enemy of a robust computer system, but this grant will help us minimize damaging failures and work to build computer systems that perform well through crises," Maciejewski says. "As computer systems become more integrated with everyday life, it's really important that they continue to perform critical functions even when there's an unpredicted circumstance." DigitalGlobe, which supplies images to Google Maps and Microsoft Virtual Earth, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research also will be participating in the project, along with the University of Colorado at Boulder. The researchers will design models and mathematical and algorithmic tools to derive robust resource management schemes and quantify the probability of system failures. "The robustness concepts being developed have broad applicability, and will significantly contribute to meeting national needs to build and maintain robust information technology infrastructures," says DigitalGlobe's Jay Smith. View Full Article | Return to Headlines Abstract News © Copyright 2009 INFORMATION, INC.