EAGER: Kinetic Computing Sculpture: A functional parallel cluster of Raspberry Pi computers that inspire computational thinking

如果没有并行计算思维，大多数现代科学发现都是不切实际的（例如人类基因组测序、希格斯玻色子的确认）。为了让年轻人（K-12）加入劳动力队伍并鼓励政府继续投资，并行计算领域必须不断教育所有年龄段的非计算机科学家，让他们认识到发现和利用新能力的创新的重要性。不幸的是，让外行人了解并行系统的重要性，因为并行系统呈指数级增长、复杂且变化迅速，这是充满挑战的。大型并行或分布式系统中的数据分布和计算是由复杂的计算机软件执行的。虽然所使用的算法和系统可能需要数年时间才能完善，但除了二进制数据包和日志以及系统的嗡嗡声之外，几乎没有任何传输迹象。只有消息灵通的人才能了解大型并行或分布式系统上发生的事件的重要性。在这个跨学科项目中，PI 正在探索截然不同的方法，以提高我们教育非计算机科学家（例如学生、K-12、资助决策者、老年人等）了解并行计算的重要性和复杂性的能力。这种变革性方法将并行或分布式系统的创建与可视化计算的机制结合起来。凭借计算机科学家、教育工作者和艺术家的综合专业知识，PI 正在设计和构建一个具有视觉吸引力的动态雕塑的 Raspberry Pi 计算机集群。每个计算设备都连接到一个安装在铝结构上的紧凑伺服机构，该机构将对系统上运行的并行程序的计算和数据移动做出反应。 PI 正在设计显示器，让雕塑参观者能够交互式地选择和查看计算机和计算科学家每天做出的各种并行计算选择的效果。将评估所提议方法的有效性。

Without parallel computational thinking most modern scientific discoveries are impracticable (e.g. sequencing the human genome, confirmation of the Higgs boson). To recruit young minds at an early age (K-12) into the workforce and to encourage governments to continue investment, the parallel computing field must constantly educate non-computer scientists of all ages as to the importance of innovation that uncovers and exploits new capabilities. Unfortunately, educating laypersons as to the importance of parallel systems that grow exponentially large and complicated and change rapidly is wrought with challenges. Distribution of data and computation across a large parallel or distributed system is carried out by complex computer software. While the algorithms and systems used may have taken years to perfect, other than binary data packets and logs, and perhaps the hum of a system, there is little indication of the transmissions. Only a deeply informed individual is privy to the significance of the events taking place on a large parallel or distributed system.In this interdisciplinary project, the PIs are exploring radically different ways to improve our ability to educate non-computer scientists (e.g. students, K-12, funding decision makers, elderly, etc.) as to the importance and sophistication of parallel computation. This transformative approach combines the creation of a parallel or distributed system with mechanisms to visualize computation. With the combined expertise of computer scientists, educators, and artists, the PIs are designing and building a cluster of Raspberry Pi computers in a visually compelling, kinetic sculpture. Each computing device is attached to a compact servo mechanism fitted to an aluminum structure that will react to both computation and data movement of parallel programs running on the system. The PIs are designing displays that allow visitors to the sculpture to interactively select and view the effects of various parallel computation choices that computer and computational scientists make every day. The effectiveness of the proposed approach will be evaluated.