FRAMINGHAM, MA - July 09, 2007 - Media Grid director Aaron E. Walsh was today named to Computerworld's list of "40 Innovative IT People to Watch, Under the Age of 40." The announcement was made in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of Computerworld, the premier source of news and analysis for the information technology industry. The award honors the new stars of IT. "Computerworld's '40 Innovative IT People to Watch, Under the Age of 40' recognizes individuals developing innovative, promising technologies which hold the potential to significantly affect society in the near future," said Don Tennant, editor in chief of Computerworld.

Walsh is recognized for his pioneering work on the Media Grid, a public utility for digital media that enables a new generation of networked applications, including: Immersive Education; on-demand digital cinema and interactive movies; distributed film and movie rendering; truly immersive multiplayer games and virtual reality; real-time visualization of complex data (weather, medical, engineering, and so forth); telepresence and telemedicine (remote surgery, medical imaging, drug design, etc.); vehicle and aircraft design and simulation; and similar high-performance media applications.

In association with the announcement Computerworld today published a special report called "Aaron E. Walsh: An Advocate of Virtual Reality." The report focuses on Immersive Education, a Media Grid initiative that combines interactive 3-D graphics, commercial game and simulation technology, virtual reality, voice chat, Web cameras and rich digital media with online courses and classrooms. Computerworld also published a corresponding profile of Walsh that gives readers a personal look at his background, career and research.

Computerworld's "40 Under 40" search began this spring with a call for nominations sent out to the IT industry and Computerworld.com newsletter subscribers. A panel of Computerworld editors selected the new stars of IT by looking for candidates whose career accomplishments best fit these statements:

• Has the vision or ability to apply IT in unique or innovative ways.
• Demonstrates fresh thinking.
• Uses cutting-edge technology to solve complex business problems.
• Shows a clear grasp of how to motivate people and/or lead an IT department.
• Makes big changes through technology.
• Understands the breadth of IT management functions from technology to budgeting to interdepartmental relations.
  

About Computerworld, Inc.
Computerworld, the 'Voice of IT Management,' is the most trusted source for the critical information needs of senior IT management at medium-size to large companies. It has earned this reputation by maintaining its focus on IT management for forty years, despite the never-ending changes in the technology landscape. Computerworld covers news from the IT manager's perspective with a broad analytical view of how that news affects the daily operations of large technology enterprises.

With more end-user quotes per issue than any other IT weekly, Computerworld prides itself on understanding the real issues that affect technology professionals. Delivering relevant, high-quality information is the key to Computerworld's longevity. Recognized by its peers, Computerworld has been awarded more than 114 print and online editorial awards, including 22 ASBPE awards for editorial excellence and a Jesse H. Neal Award for 'Best News Coverage,' in 2003 alone, Folio Magazine's 2006 Gold EDDIE Award for the best technology/computing magazine, the 2004 and 2006 Magazine of the Year Award, and 2006 Best Overall Web Publication from the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE).

Computerworld serves the needs of technology management through print and online vehicles, as well as by first-hand user accounts at its conference series: Storage Network World, Mobile and Wireless World, Premier 100 IT Leaders Conference and Business Intelligence Perspectives. Computerworld.com, its conference series and custom research join the weekly print publication to form the U.S.-based hub of the world's largest (58-edition) global IT media network. Computerworld is a division of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research and event company. Computerworld leads the industry with an online audience of over 2 million unique monthly visitors and a print audience of 1,252,000 readers each week.

About the Media Grid
The Media Grid is a public utility for digital media. Based on new and emerging distributed computational grid technologies, the Media Grid builds upon existing Internet and Web standards to create a unique network optimized for digital media delivery, storage, and processing. As an on-demand public computing utility, a range of software programs and Web sites can use the Media Grid for delivery and storage of rich media content, media processing, and computing power. The Media Grid is an open and extensible platform that enables a wide range of applications not possible with the traditional Internet alone, including: Massive Media on Demand (MMoD); Interactive digital cinema on demand; Immersive Education and distance learning; Truly immersive multiplayer games and Virtual Reality (VR); Hollywood movie and film rendering, special effects, and composition; Real-time rendering of high resolution graphics; Real-time visualization of complex weather patterns; Real-time protein modeling and drug design; Telepresence, telemedicine, and telesurgery; Vehicle and aircraft design and simulation; Visualization of scientific and medical data.

The Grid Institute leads the design and development of the global Media Grid through the MediaGrid.org open standards organization in collaboration with industry, academia, and governments from around the world.

To learn more about the Media Grid visit MediaGrid.org