ENGINEERING
WKU's Ogden College Of Science And Engineering Receives Funding For High Performance Computing Center
Western Kentucky University’s Ogden College of Science and Engineering has received $2.379 million from the U.S. Department of Education to purchase and install state-of-the-art equipment in a new High Performance Computing Center (HPCC) to be located at the WKU Center for Research and Development.
Funding for the project was secured by U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell in the 2009 federal budget. WKU will provide an additional $50,000 toward the project as well as three full-time staff.
The HPCC will contain an ultra high performance, multi-node supercomputer with high-volume data storage and network connectivity. The HPCC will provide the requisite cyber infrastructure needed to support research across academic disciplines at WKU and will expand capacity to create strategic partnerships between University faculty and global business and industry.
The HPCC also will allow WKU to attract and retain critical numbers of experienced faculty and staff, and it will support economic development by building a competitive workforce of graduates experienced in the cutting edge components of the STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The new system will be operational by May 2010.
“This new computing facility is expected to help many researchers at WKU transform their research using state-of-the-art computer simulation technologies,” said Dr. Phil Womble, founder of the WKU Cyber Defense Laboratory. “The methodology of science in the 21st century has changed radically. Historically, the scientist relied on theory and experiment to advance scientific progress. In the 21st century, many experiments now begin by modeling the current information available for a project and then designing experiments or simulations to test the experimental hypothesis.”
The HPCC will support the delivery of modeling, simulation and visualization software that requires high end computing resources. This will directly enhance research and curriculum experiences that foster understanding of complex systems in the STEM disciplines.
Dr. Claire Rinehart, professor in the WKU Biology Department and director of the WKU Bioinformatics Science and Information Center, and Dr. Rezaul Mahmood, professor in the WKU Geography and Geology Department and associate director of the Kentucky Mesonet Project and Kentucky Climate Center, will co-direct the High Performance Computing Center.
Funding for the project was secured by U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell in the 2009 federal budget. WKU will provide an additional $50,000 toward the project as well as three full-time staff.
The HPCC will contain an ultra high performance, multi-node supercomputer with high-volume data storage and network connectivity. The HPCC will provide the requisite cyber infrastructure needed to support research across academic disciplines at WKU and will expand capacity to create strategic partnerships between University faculty and global business and industry.
The HPCC also will allow WKU to attract and retain critical numbers of experienced faculty and staff, and it will support economic development by building a competitive workforce of graduates experienced in the cutting edge components of the STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The new system will be operational by May 2010.
“This new computing facility is expected to help many researchers at WKU transform their research using state-of-the-art computer simulation technologies,” said Dr. Phil Womble, founder of the WKU Cyber Defense Laboratory. “The methodology of science in the 21st century has changed radically. Historically, the scientist relied on theory and experiment to advance scientific progress. In the 21st century, many experiments now begin by modeling the current information available for a project and then designing experiments or simulations to test the experimental hypothesis.”
The HPCC will support the delivery of modeling, simulation and visualization software that requires high end computing resources. This will directly enhance research and curriculum experiences that foster understanding of complex systems in the STEM disciplines.
Dr. Claire Rinehart, professor in the WKU Biology Department and director of the WKU Bioinformatics Science and Information Center, and Dr. Rezaul Mahmood, professor in the WKU Geography and Geology Department and associate director of the Kentucky Mesonet Project and Kentucky Climate Center, will co-direct the High Performance Computing Center.
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