CC* CIRA: High-performance computing solutions for small Midwest institutions

高性能计算是科学发现和技术创新的主要驱动力之一。然而，由于高性能计算资源的缺乏和大数据的兴起，数据科学等新兴领域的教学和研究对于小型高等院校来说越来越遥不可及。这个网络基础设施研究对齐项目提供了一个高性能的计算环境，以推进中西部小型学术机构的研究和促进科学合作。该项目在爱荷华州和明尼苏达州的五个非r1机构之间建立了伙伴关系，以规划一个区域计算网络，通过研究合作和外展活动将这些机构联系起来。该项目的种子机构马卡莱斯特学院、格林内尔学院、中央学院、科学院和北爱荷华大学正在合作，让教师和学生探索日益相关的高性能计算领域。这是通过研究这些机构的研究和课堂需求如何与硬件和网络需求相对应，以及通过确定促进有效教学和科学发现的机构内部合作的机会来实现的。总体目标是创建一个计算网络，将位于北爱荷华大学的现代集中式硬件资源与合作组织教师的跨学科专业知识结合起来。该项目的一个重要部分侧重于将社区学院和其他小型区域机构纳入该网络的可行性计划。这将使所有背景的学生都能在一个令人兴奋、快速增长和数据驱动的世界中找到自己的职业。该奖项由先进网络基础设施办公室颁发，并得到了刺激竞争研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）的联合支持。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

High-performance computing is one of the main drivers of scientific discoveries and technological innovations. However, due to the lack of high-performance computing resources and the rise of big data, teaching and research in data science and other emerging fields is becoming out of reach for small institutions of higher education. This cyberinfrastructure research alignment project provides a high-performance computing environment to advance research and foster scientific collaborations at small academic institutions in the Midwest. The project establishes partnerships among five non-R1 institutions in Iowa and Minnesota to plan a regional computing network that connects these institutions via research collaborations and outreach activities. The seed institutions on the project, Macalester College, Grinnell College, Central College, Coe College, and the University of Northern Iowa, are teaming up to allow faculty and students to explore the increasingly relevant field of high-performance computing. This is accomplished by studying how the research and classroom needs at these institutions correspond to hardware and networking requirements and by identifying opportunities for intra-institutional collaborations that will facilitate effective instruction and scientific discoveries. The overarching goal is to create a computing network that combines modern, centralized hardware resources, housed at the University of Northern Iowa, with the interdisciplinary expertise of faculty at the partnering organizations. A significant part of the project focuses on a feasibility plan for including community colleges and other small regional institutions in the network. This will make careers in an exciting, fast-growing, and data-driven world accessible to students of all backgrounds.This award by the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure is jointly supported by 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.