MRI Acquisition: High Performance Cluster for Multidisciplinary Research at Long Island University

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This project supports the acquisition of a high performance computer cluster in support of bioinformatics research and gravitational wave source modeling. With computation being critical to so many fields, such a cluster will advance research in both these fields as well as help train students in computational methods. In particular, improved source modeling will support improved science from the LIGO gravitational wave observatory. The bioinformatics research seeks to improve the understanding of environmental change generally, and, in particular, on the Antarctic continent.This cluster will be a crucial complement to national and other off-site resources that enables rapid response, effective software development, extended length runs, and other types of custom runs not easily accomplished on other resources. Now is a tremendous time for this field given the spectacular success of LIGO in discovering black hole binaries and, most recently, observing the gravitational waves from a binary neutron star merger that was also captured in the various electromagnetic bands (e.g. as a short gamma ray burst with an accompanying kilonova).These models of such neutron star mergers use state-of-the-art realistic equations of state, magnetic field, and neutrino cooling. A local, advanced cluster supplements computing time at XSEDE facilities and will help tremendously with simulations and analysis of data. The bioinformatics research of this project studies the effect of the environment on the DNA of animals, which has implications for understanding adaptations to extreme environments, particularly those of the Antarctic continent, and how organisms there may respond to future global change.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.