SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
Grant: $360,779 - National Science Foundation - Aug. 22, 2009
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Award Description: This project involves the building of a high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIHPSI - Southern Illinois HPC Infrastructure), a facility first-of-its-kind not only within the campus but in the greater Southern Illinois region also. High-performance computing refers to the use of supercomputers and/or computer clusters to accelerate the solution of fundamental problems in science, engineering and business that have broad economic and scientific impact. SIHPCI will initially consist of a 110 nodes Linux cluster with Intel Xeon dual CPU quad-core 2.3 GHz processors, 6 GB RAM, and 90 TB data storage facility. SIHPSI will expand the scope and quality of research at SIUC in two broad areas: (1) Computational nanoscience and engineering (CNE): Projects include-multimillion atom quantum simulations of nanoscale devices with tens of millions of complex degrees of freedom; computational design of catalysts at the molecular level; molecular dynamics studies of polymer morphology at interfaces; fundamental studies of the relation between structure, dynamics, and driving mechanisms in non-equilibrium states of matter; quantum information processing exploring new properties of atomic nuclei. (2) Geographic Information Science (GIS): Involves strategic research to investigate new algorithms for representation and transformation of massive dynamic data allowing a cognitive and visual interpretation for analysts by exploiting invariant geometric properties. Research in the CNE area is expected to have significant impact in a wide range of technological applications including low-power and fast transistors, coatings, lithography, adhesives to light emitting diodes and sensors, various smart and functionalized materials, and quantum computation. The GIS research will facilitate efficient data streaming, crime and health studies, medical imaging, and genome mapping. SIHPSI will also serve as a nucleation center for further addition of HPC resources and will offer SIUC?s faculty members a much quicker time frame (1-2 weeks) to start computing as compared to a custom cluster configuration which usually takes about 6 months from start to production. SIHPSI has an educational interface that will support: (1) revamping several courses in the areas of scientific modeling and numerical analysis; (2) developing a new course on computational nanoelectronics; and (3) training (through summer workshops) a diverse community of college teachers as well as K-12 students in the field of scientific computing and data analysis. Materials/modules developed in the teaching/training activities will be posted on NSF's nanoHUB.org for use by the broader community. This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5), NSF award number: 0855221.
Project Description: Research activities using SIHCPI at SIUC encompass two broad areas - (1) Computational Nanoscience and Engineering (CNE), and (2) Geographic Information Science (GIS). SIHPSI will serve as a nucleation center for further addition of HPC resources and offers SIUC's faculty members a much quicker time frame (1-2 weeks) to start computing as compared to a custom cluster configuration which usually takes about 6 months from start to production. Broader Impact: Research in the CNE area is expected to have significant impact in a wide range of technological applications including low-power and fast transistors, coatings, lithography, adhesives to light emitting diodes and sensors, various smart and functionalized materials, and quantum computation. The GIS research facilitates efficient data streaming, crime and health studies, medical imaging, and genome mapping. SIHPSI has an educational interface that supports - (1) revamping several courses in the area of scientific modeling and numerical analysis; (2) developing a new course on computational nanoelectronics; and (3) training (through summer workshops) a diverse community of college teachers as well as K-12 students in the field of scientific computing and data analysis. Materials/modules developed in the teaching/training activities will be posted on NSF's nanoHUB.org for use by the broader community. Progress Report: (1-Sep-2009 to 10-Oct-2009) (1) Space for the proposed SIHSI is being created and prepared. (2) Vendors are being contacted for providing updated quotations for the Linux cluster to be purchased.
Jobs Summary: NA (Total jobs reported: 0)
Project Status: Less Than 50% Completed
This award's data was last updated on Aug. 22, 2009. Help expand these official descriptions using the wiki below.
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