UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Nov. 17, 2020 — Learn more about Penn State’s Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS) and hear about their 2020 breakthroughs and advances during Supercomputing 2020 Nov.16 to 19, 2020 on the SC20 virtual platform.
ICDS operates and continues to expand a world-class high-performance computing system — The Roar supercomputer — which Penn State researchers carry out advanced simulation and statistical modeling, data analysis, data mining, machine learning, and more. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, ICDS not only continued its mission for the University’s researchers, but made significant improvements and expansion for future work to help researchers investigate some of science and society’s most pressing challenges. Here are just some of those 2020 advances, highlights and storylines:
- CAREERS — ICDS is spearheading Penn State’s role in Yale University-led “CAREERS: Cyberteam to Advance Research and Education in Eastern Regional Schools,” which received a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for approximately $1.4 million and includes seven universities. The funds support initiatives to strengthen the research computing career pipeline, increase the availability of research computing experts who can collaborate with researchers, and provide this support to underserved institutions in Pennsylvania and beyond.
- RISE — An NSF grant worth $1.4 million will support ICDS’s three-year program designed to boost scientific discovery across Penn State’s 24 campuses by providing them with access to ICDS’s Research Innovations with Scientists and Engineers (RISE) team. RISE team members bring a deep understanding of computational tools and best practices, helping researchers identify the best computational or data science solution to advance the researchers’ science.
- Big Data Innovation Hub — ICDS is also part of Northeast Big Data Innovation Hub, funded by a $4 million multi-institution NSF grant and aimed at identifying innovative solutions for societal, scientific and industry challenges through strategic data science partnerships.
- ICDS — Previously known as the Institute for CyberScience, ICDS was renamed in 2020 to better reflect the expanded role of data science and computational science in research.
- Roar — Penn State’s supercomputer also received a new moniker. Formerly knowns as the Institute for CyberScience – Advanced Cyber Infrastructure or (ICS-ACI), the supercomputer is now called Roar, which was suggested by the Penn State community after a naming contest that brought in thousands of suggestions and hundreds of votes for the winning entry.
- Cloud Computing — ICDS announced that a new, on-premises cloud computing environment has been added to its suite of high-performance computing offerings that will provide Penn State researchers with more versatile, and potentially more cost-effective, computing resource options. The cloud computing option is known as High-Performance Research Cloud (HPRC).
- Joining the Battle Against COVID – ICDS helped researchers investigating COVID-19 and its aftermath through a series of grants and facilitating research efforts on the Roar supercomputer.
