Ever thrown away a computer because you’ve simply updated to the latest and greatest and your current processor just doesn’t cut it? Jennifer Shelhart speaks of her company based out of Valparaiso, Indiana, Green Research Corporation. Green Research takes computers that would not be otherwise put into use and installs a program that runs research computing for cancer and other illnesses, using a program designed by UC Berkley called BOINC, or Berkley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing. BOINC allows numerous computers to run its software instead of utilizing a large, exorbitantly expensive supercomputer to do the same work. This serves two purposes: keeping outdated and broken computers out of landfills as well as searching for a cure.
It is possible to run the BOIC program on your own personal computer’s downtime; which was brilliant idea behind Shelhart’s business. It is possible to download the software from the Green Research website, which allows the software packets to run on your computer while you’re not using it.
Shelhart speaks on our society’s quest for the newest and best model of all technology and how the waste this trend creates actually aids her company. People who no longer have a use for their old computer, whether it be too old, too outdated, too slow; Green Research is willing to take that computer and use its processor to run data for Berkeley.
The Shelhart resident is currently home to roughly 100 computers running the BOINC software, all on green energy.
Explore BOINC here!
