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NVIDIA, a leader in visual computing technology, has selected Carthage to be a GPU Education Center.

The College receives access to hardware, software, NVIDIA experts and educational resources in the emerging field of parallel programming. Only one other university in Wisconsin has been given the designation.

NVIDIA pioneered technology that uses graphics processing units (GPU) to accelerate computer simulations and large-scale numerical calculations. Its broad range of applications includes cars, mobile devices, drones, and robots.

Perry Kivolowitz Perry KivolowitzCarthage’s Computer Science Department is being recognized for its commitment to education in parallel programming. In contrast to a traditional computer processor that tackles tasks sequentially, this sophisticated programming technique employs thousands of processing units to work on separate tasks simultaneously.

“Parallel computing is different,” said Perry Kivolowitz, an assistant professor of computer science who is developing a course in Scientific Computing based on this technology. “In addition to being mind-numbingly fast, programming becomes very subtle.”

NVIDIA, based in Santa Clara, California, sent textbooks and three high-end GPU boards worth a total of $5,500. Students also gain access to case studies and other web resources.

Prof. Kivolowitz, who won an Academy Award in 1996 for scientific and technical achievement in filmmaking, hopes to offer his students’ parallel computing expertise to faculty and other “clients” on campus.

“The GPU computing initiative dovetails nicely with our efforts in the sciences to promote computing across the curriculum,” said Professor Kevin Crosby, dean of the Division of Natural and Social Sciences. “All of our science students need foundational grounding in computational methods and technology, and this partnership with NVIDIA will help us deliver.”