MRI-R2: Acquisition of a Small Computing Cluster for Geophysical Research

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)提供资金的。该奖项支持收购24节点计算集群系统。该系统将设在卡罗莱纳海岸大学(CCU)海岸科学中心，由CCU的信息和技术服务(ITS)以及物理和海洋科学系联合管理。该组的主要目的是进一步研究地球物理过程。该集群还将向整个CCU社区提供，以使正在进行侧重于计算的研究的学生、博士后和教职员工受益。智力价值：集群系统的主要任务是推进地球物理方面的两个研究项目。第一个项目要求星系团运行高级区域预测系统[ARPS]来模拟冬季大气扰动，这些扰动可能会影响极地环流和极地平流层云的形成。该项目的成果将加强对极地大气和极地平流层臭氧损失和恢复的可变性的了解。第二个项目使用该集群运行区域海洋模拟系统[ROMS]，以模拟地质、物理和生物对墨西哥湾北部低氧水柱(缺氧区)的时间和位置的影响。该项目的结果有助于定量确定沉积物和有机质的扩散模式，以及影响低氧区发展的关键海洋过程。更广泛的影响。这些项目为本科生提供了一个独特的机会，让他们接触到亲身实践的尖端研究，否则可能无法在类似的国家支持的文科院校获得这些研究。参与的学生研究人员将参与建立和维护集群，进行计算机建模实验，分析模型输出，并展示/撰写研究结果。此外，项目和集群使用的结果将被纳入CCU新的应用物理课程中强调的流体力学和大气物理等课程，以及海洋科学中的沉积地质学和沿海海洋和湿地过程等新课程。与该集群相关的研究和教育的整合将加强CCU通过研究性学习加强本科教育的机构承诺。新集群的功能将向CCU的所有教职员工和他们的学生提供，涉及多个学科。目前在考古学、艺术史、天体物理学、应用数学和计算机科学方面的研究活动将立即从新的群组中受益。新的集群还将支持CCU的一个新的博士后奖学金计划，该计划由当地企业支持，以促进南卡罗来纳州的研究。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This award supports acquisition of a 24-node computing cluster system. The system will be housed in the Coastal Carolina University (CCU) Coastal Science Center and managed jointly by CCU's Information and Technology Services (ITS) and the Physics and Marine Science departments. The primary purpose of the cluster is to further studies in geophysical processes. The cluster will also be made available to the full CCU community to benefit students, post-docs and faculty who are conducting research with emphasis on computation. Intellectual Merit: The primary task of the cluster system is to advance two research projects in geophysics. The first project requires the cluster to operate the Advanced Regional Prediction System [ARPS] to simulate wintertime atmospheric disturbances that can influence the polar circulation and the formation of polar stratospheric clouds. Results from this project will enhance understanding of the variability of the polar atmosphere and polar stratospheric ozone loss and recovery. The second project uses the cluster to run the Regional Ocean Modeling System [ROMS] to simulate geological, physical, and biological impacts on the timing and location of low-oxygen water columns (hypoxic areas) in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Results from this project help to quantitatively define the dispersal pattern of sediment and organic matter and key oceanographic processes influencing development of the low-oxygen regions. Broader Impacts. The projects offer undergraduates a unique exposure to hands-on, cutting-edge research that may not otherwise be available at similar state-supported Liberal Arts institutions. Participating student researchers will be involved in building and maintaining the cluster, conducting computer modeling experiments, analyzing model output, and presenting/writing research results. Additionally, results of the projects and cluster usage will be incorporated into courses like Fluid Dynamics and Atmospheric Physics emphasized in CCU's new Applied Physics curriculum and new courses like Sedimentary Geology and Coastal Marine and Wetland Processes in Marine Science. The integration of research and education related to the cluster will strengthen CCU's institutional commitment toward enhancing undergraduate education through inquiry-based learning. Capabilities of the new cluster will be made available to all CCU faculty members and their students across multiple disciplines. Present research activities in Archaeology, Art History, Astrophysics, Applied Mathematics and Computer Sciences will immediately benefit from the new cluster. The new cluster will also support a new CCU Post-Doctoral Fellowship program supported by local businesses to promote research in South Carolina.