Clemson U Launches Research Computing Partnership With 4 HBCUs
A new project led by Clemson University aims to transform research at four historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Funded by a $250,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, the project, titled "CC* Cyber Team: Cyberinfrastructure Empowerment for Diverse Research, Scholarship, and Workforce Development (CI Empower)," will enhance research computing capacity at Morgan State University, Jackson State University, Claflin University and South Carolina State University.
The CI Empower project will help each institution develop a cyberinfrastructure strategic plan tailored to HBCU campus environments, according to a press release, and provide expert help in locating research computing resources and collaborating with partner campuses.
"We are very excited to be working with our partners on this project as in this era of dependence on data for virtually every area of research and scholarship, no single institution can support the diverse needs of their communities alone and it is imperative that we build strong, interdependent partnerships where we can effectively leverage one another's strengths," said Jim Bottum, research professor and director of the Center of Excellence in Next Generation Computing and Creativity at Clemson and Internet2 fellow, who also serves as CI Empower's principal investigator.
"Jackson State University's College of Science, Engineering and Technology is pleased to be a part of this grant that adds significant opportunities for our institutions to assess and enhance our cyberinfrastructure and to be part of a more even playing field with our much larger sister institutions," commented Richard Alo, dean of Jackson State's College of Science, Engineering and Technology and a co-principal investigator of the project. "So much of what are doing now and in the future in research and education depends on and will depend on having access, engagement and faculty and student training. We are grateful to NSF for this award and to Clemson University for leading the way."
Additional project partners include Miron Livny, professor of computer science at the University of Wisconsin, director of the Center for High Throughput Computing and technical director of the Open Science Grid; and Linda Akli, director of outreach and training, Southeastern Universities Research Association.
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