CC* Compute: Collaboration in Computing Infrastructure for Research and Education (CO-InResE)

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).

Computational science forms an essential component of scientific inquiry. It contributes to the advancement of research and development and boosts discovery speed. High-Performance Computing (HPC) and High Throughput Computing (HTC) enable scientific inquiry that was unthinkable just a few years ago while allowing the contribution from a range of research.

Such advancement is also accomplished through multidisciplinary and multi-institutional contributions. This project will acquire, deploy, and maintain a 16 node HPC cluster, and support computing-intensive research and training across a wide range of disciplines. The new cluster is available as a campus-wide shared resource to Langston University and researchers across Oklahoma and beyond.

The project aims to 1) Improve campus awareness and adoption of advanced computing and data resources for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) research and education activities; 2) Contribute to and enhance the current research computing resources at Langston University, the only Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) in the region; 3) Train a diverse cyberinfrastructure workforce; and 4) Actively contribute to the Open Science Grid gateway and the regional Cyberinfrastructure Consortium. The project facilitates a range of Computational and Data-Enabled Science and Engineering research activities across campus.

In addition, under served undergraduate students interested in joining the cyberinfrastructure workforce will be mentored and trained on all aspects of the job and career. This project has potential to advance the regional infrastructure and research efforts by sustaining and increasing the number of local resources across the region. Thus, it aligns with well-established regional distributed support teams such as the OneOklahoma Cyberinfrastructure Initiative.

The Program notes that this Area#4 in CC* was created explicitly to address computing needs at under served campuses. Langston University is a strong example, with an outdated computing resource and compelling needs for their proposed cluster. The project acquires a 16 node HPC cluster that will be deployed at Langston University.

The proposed cluster, which consists of 768 Central Processing Unit (CPU) cores and 8 A100 Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) accelerators, will enhanced research and education at Langston University.

This project is funded through the collaborative efforts of the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.