ExSciTecH: Expanding volunteer computing to Explore Science, Technology, and Health

Abstract

This paper presents ExSciTecH, an NSF-funded project deploying volunteer computing (VC) systems to Explore Science, Tecenology, and Health. ExSciTecH aims at radically transforming VC systems and the volunteer's experience. To pursue this goal, ExSciTecH integrates and uses gameplay environments into BOINC, a well-known VC middleware, to involve the volunteers not only for simply donating idle cycles but also for actively participating in scientific discovery, i.e., generating new simulations side by side with the scientists. More specifically, ExSciTecH plugs into the BOINC framework extending it with two main gaming components, i.e., a learning component that includes a suite of games for training users on relevant biochemical concepts, and an engaging component that includes a suite of games to engage volunteers in drug design and scientific discovery. We assessed the impact of a first implementation of the learning game on a group of students at the University of Delaware. Our tests clearly show how ExSciTecH can generate higher levels of enthusiasm than more traditional learning tools in our students.