NSF Award
1725938
In this project, faculty from Kettering University will acquire and operate a centralized High Performance Computing (HPC) resource called the Kettering University High Performance Computing cluster (KUHPC). KUHPC will provide capabilities to Kettering University to facilitate both computation- and data- intensive research on campus. Kettering is a primarily undergraduate institution specializing in experiential learning and cooperative education within science, engineering, math, and business fields. Current computing resources available on campus are insufficient to support the scope of computational programs faculty wish to pursue both in research and teaching. Reliable, dedicated computational and data-storage resources are needed on campus to support and grow existing faculty research programs, and to train and recruit high-quality students in the future. The establishment of a centralized computational resource will support ongoing research projects, allow for the development of new research projects, and advance the use of computational techniques both in research and in undergraduate coursework across multiple Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines.<br/><br/>KUHPC will enable a growing number of multi-disciplinary faculty at Kettering University to use computational tools in their research. The project team represents nine different research groups across a broad range of STEM disciplines that would immediately benefit from the acquisition of the HPC resource. From mapping generational differences in DNA sequences and simulating dynamic protein structures, to modeling the passage of electromagnetic waves through complex media and optimizing industrial manufacturing processes - the diverse projects will all directly benefit from a centralized HPC resource. KUHPC will deliver large-scale parallel computation that will significantly shorten the modeling, simulation, and analysis time for all the research projects.<br/><br/>Moreover, KUHPC will facilitate large-scale student exposure to applied computational research projects not currently possible on campus. Computational research techniques and tools are essential for state-of-the art work in multiple STEM fields, and future Kettering students will gain these essential skills through both coursework and on-campus research experiences. The acquisition of the HPC resource would allow for the inclusion of computationally intensive projects or modules in coursework across a wide range of disciplines. Access to an HPC resource would provide students the opportunity to work with more accurate and complex computational models than are currently possible. Allowing students to work with a HPC resource as undergraduates will provide them with strong technical and computational skills that are transferrable to both industry and graduate studies across disciplines.
