MRI: Acquisition of a Hybrid CPU/GPU High Performance Computing Cluster for Research and Education at Lamar University

随着信息爆炸的不断发展，传统的数据处理设备已经不足以处理复杂的数据集和大型计算，高性能计算集群（HPCC）已经成为各种前沿研究和教育活动的重要工具。拉马尔大学（LU）是一所拥有15，000多名学生的中型非博士授予四年制大学，将获得并部署HPCC，以加强计算密集型和数据密集型研究，并通过共享的国家促进学科特定和多学科研究最先进的计算平台。该仪器将有力地支持LU当前和未来的高优先级研究需求，并使各种区域学术机构和行业受益。具体而言，该项目将获得一个混合CPU/GPU HPCC，这将使其能够部署最适合的计算节点，以执行传统的基于CPU，基于GPU和基于混合CPU/GPU的数据密集型计算任务。 该资源将使创造性的研究领域的探索，并建立新的跨学科研究领域的成像基因组学，深度学习，大数据，计算神经科学，分子物理学，先进材料研究，科学优化，水和空气质量分析，运输系统，电子结构计算，核酸生物标志物发现和表观遗传学，等等。此外，作为共享的研究资源，HPCC不仅将促进大学内不同部门教职员工之间的跨学科合作，还使LU能够促进和加强与其他研究机构的合作机会。此外，该工具还将成为一个重要的教育工具，有可能培养教师对开发新课程的兴趣，将最先进的研究纳入本科和研究生课程。 此外，该项目还将为德克萨斯州东南部金三角地区的其他学术机构和工业合作伙伴的用户提供资源。 最后，该项目将为当地独立学区（ISDs）的K-12学生组织外展活动，这些学区的少数民族和低收入比例较高，可以在科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）领域学习。

As traditional data processing devices are no longer adequate to handle complex data sets and large computations due to the continuing information explosion, a high performance computing cluster (HPCC) has become an essential instrument for a wide variety of leading-edge research and educational activities. Lamar University (LU), a medium-sized non-PhD granting four-year university with more than 15,000 students will acquire and deploy a HPCC to enhance compute-intensive and data-intensive studies and to facilitate discipline-specific and multidisciplinary research through a shared state-of-the-art computing platform. The instrumentation will strongly support LU's high priority current and future research needs as well as benefit a variety of regional academic institutions and industries.Specifically, the project will acquire a hybrid CPU/GPU HPCC which will make it possible to deploy the best suited computing nodes to perform traditional CPU-based, GPU-based, and hybrid CPU/GPU-based data-intensive computing tasks at LU. The resource will enable the exploration of creative research areas and establish new cross-disciplinary studies in the areas of imaging genomics, deep learning, big data, computational neuroscience, molecular physics, advanced materials research, scientific optimization, water and air quality analysis, transportation systems, electronic structure calculations, nucleic acid biomarker discovery and epigenetics, and many more. Furthermore, as a shared research resource, the HPCC will not only promote cross-disciplinary collaborations among faculty members from different departments within the university, but also enable LU to promote and strengthen collaborative opportunities with other research institutions. In addition, the instrument will also become an essential educational tool with the potential to foster interest among faculty in the development of new courses that will integrate state-of-the-art research into undergraduate and graduate curricula. Additionally, the project will provide access to the resource to users from other academic institutions and industrial partners in the Golden Triangle area in Southeast Texas. Finally, the project will organize outreach activities for K-12 students from local Independent School Districts (ISDs) that have high minority and low-income ratios to study in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) areas.