HP’s Workstation Computers Power Alternative Energy Research at Colorado State University
HP, a longtime supporter of Colorado State University, has donated performance workstation computers to support alternative energy and climate research efforts in the College of Engineering.
The HP xw8600 Workstation computers will be used in the Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory in support of the lab’s efforts to solve some of the world’s most challenging environmental problems by developing new alternative energy sources. Also benefitting is Professor Wayne Schubert’s hurricane research group in the Department of Atmospheric Science, which will use the workstations for advanced modeling and other research activities.
Colorado State University’s engines lab has been recognized internationally for creating environmentally sustainable technologies. Among the projects are assisting laboratory startup Envirofit International with designing, building and disseminating 10 million clean cookstoves to the developing world in the next five years. In addition, the university developed a bolt-on, direct-injection retrofit kit for carbureted two-stroke engines that are major polluters in many developing countries – also a product of Envirofit. Finally, the university’s mechanical and chemical engineers have commercialized technology that can cheaply mass produce oil derived from algae and turn it into biodiesel, which has resulted in CSU startup Solix Biofuels.
The workstations donated to the Department of Atmospheric Science will help improve scientific knowledge of hurricane behavior.
"These HP Workstations will allow Professor Schubert’s research group to run the complex hurricane models needed for their research efforts and to analyze and visualize the results, and will greatly enhance their ability to make significant contributions to the scientific community’s fundamental understanding of hurricanes," said Richard Johnson, head of the Department of Atmospheric Science.
HP has been among the university’s most generous corporate donors, giving more than $20 million in equipment gifts and scholarships to the university over the past 20 years.
Schubert has been at CSU since 1973. He has been honored by the American Meteorological Society for his outstanding contributions to atmospheric science, and by CSU for his teaching and student advising efforts, having received the 2007 Jack E. Cermak Outstanding Advisor Award. His research interests include atmospheric dynamics, numerical weather prediction, and tropical meteorology. He is especially well known for his contributions to the understanding of the structure and intensification of hurricanes.
About HP xw8600 Workstations
The HP xw8600 Workstations provide Colorado State’s research team with the latest in quad-core performance. HP Workstations are used around the world by the most demanding power users in their fields. HP Workstations are registered as Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool Gold products – the highest rating available. All HP Workstations are more than 90 percent recyclable by weight and incorporate a tool-less chassis design for quick and easy upgrades by hand. Each workstation includes an 80 PLUS power supply, which is substantially more efficient than a standard power supply, reducing both overall energy usage and the amount of waste heat released into the environment.
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