CRI: Acquisition of a Linux Cluster for Bioinformatics Research and Education

这项提案旨在建立一个高容量的计算基础设施，以支持波士顿大学生物系、生物医学工程系、化学系、计算机科学系和生物信息学研究生计划正在进行的生物网络高级研究。PI和Co-PI构成了跨学科生物信息学计划的计算核心能力，它们都参与了CPU和内存密集型研究，旨在开发和应用工具来挖掘、集成和分析基因组、蛋白质和代谢数据。由计算集群产生的算法、软件和数据集将直接增强生物网络研究的基础设施。与生物信息学计划的研究人员开发的其他生物分析资源一样，根据这一建议产生的所有计算机工具将通过生物信息学计划中维护的高容量专用网络服务器免费提供给研究社区。选择的集群架构最符合这项生物信息学研究以数据为中心的特点，以及配置排队系统以适应内存密集型和CPU密集型算法的灵活性要求。任何未使用的CPU周期都将提供给波士顿大学的其他研究人员。由计算集群产生的算法、软件和数据集将直接增强生物网络研究的基础设施。与生物信息学计划的研究人员开发的其他生物分析资源一样，根据这一建议产生的所有计算机工具将通过生物信息学计划中维护的高容量专用网络服务器免费提供给研究社区。

This proposal seeks to establish a high capacity computing infrastructure to support advanced research in biological networks ongoing at Boston University in the departments of Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, Computer Science, and the Bioinformatics Graduate Program. The PI and Co-PIs, who form the computational core faculty of the interdisciplinary Bioinformatics program, are all involved in CPU and memory intensive research aimed at development and application of tools to mine, integrate and analyze genomic, proteomic and metabolic data. The algorithms, software, and data sets produced with the computing cluster will directly enhance the infrastructure for research in biological networks. As with other bio-analysis resources developed by researchers in the Bioinformatics program, all computer tools resulting from this proposal will be made freely available to the research community through a high capacity, dedicated web server maintained in the Bioinformatics program. The chosen cluster architecture is most compatible with the data-centric characteristics of this Bioinformatics research, as well as the flexibility requirement of configuring a queuing system to accommodate both memory-intensive and CPU-intensive algorithms. Any unused CPU cycles will be made available to other researchers at Boston University. The algorithms, software, and data sets produced with the computing cluster will directly enhance the infrastructure for research in biological networks. As with other bio-analysis resources developed by researchers in the Bioinformatics program, all computer tools resulting from this proposal will be made freely available to the research community through a high capacity, dedicated webserver maintained in the Bioinformatics program.