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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Researchers at Penn State’s Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS), along with collaborators at other institutions across Pennsylvania, will receive approximately $1.1 million under the National Science Foundation’s Campus Cyber Infrastructure Program. Obtained funds. A Commonwealth-wide secure network and associated cyber infrastructure to interconnect Pennsylvania’s universities.
“Modern scientific research generates vast amounts of data, which must be quickly and securely transferred, analyzed, stored, and shared between collaborators,” said Dr. said Jenny Evans, professor of meteorology and atmospheric sciences and ICDS principal investigator. project. “Unfortunately, many resource-starved institutions simply do not have the network infrastructure necessary for data-intensive collaboration, access to remote equipment, and utilization of high-performance computing resources.”
The project, funded by the National Science Foundation, is titled “Pennsylvania Science DMZ Supporting Under-Resourced Universities (PA Science DMZ).” In computer networks, a demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a network that separates a network from other untrusted networks, such as the Internet. According to Evans, the PA Science DMZ will support science-driven research and education at under-resourced Pennsylvania universities by enabling and enhancing access to cyberinfrastructure resources and services. This is an initiative that ICDS is in a unique position to lead.
“As part of Pennsylvania’s only land-grant university, ICDS was founded with a mission of education, research, service, and extension in support of the people and industry of the Commonwealth. We’ve set a goal that requires calculations and complex data,” Evans said. “The first element of this strategy is to break down barriers to research and pedagogical collaboration across Pennsylvania’s higher education institutions.”
The project was identified in a planning grant won in 2022 by proposal partner KINBER, a nonprofit organization committed to advancing digital equity and inclusion in partnership with communities, governments, businesses, and schools. The aim is to address the challenges faced by the government, Evans said. Other collaborators on the project include faculty from Swarthmore College, Lafayette College, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and the Digital Foundry at Penn State New Kensington (DFNK). Together, they will work on the planned implementation of the PA Science DMZ to improve cross-institutional research projects found to be hampered by a lack of secure connectivity between institutions. is.
“KINBER and its new affiliate, KeystoneREN, are excited to collaborate on this important cyberinfrastructure project,” said Nathan Flood, Co-Principal Investigator and KINBER President and CEO. says Mr. KeystoneREN is a wholly owned subsidiary of his KINBER, providing broadband connectivity, fostering collaboration, and promoting research and education networks. “This award enables the Kimber National Science Foundation’s planning grant activities and efforts to support under-resourced universities and build a sustainable, scalable, high-performance science research network across the state. is.”
According to ICDS Assistant Director and Co-Lead Wayne Figurelle, the planning and proposal efforts have established an energetic and dedicated academic team. Researchers will use the cyberinfrastructure improvements to facilitate a series of initial research collaborations among participating institutions identified during planning.
“These resources will also help benefit a rapidly expanding research base with emerging scientific and educational needs. Additionally, this project has long-term sustainability goals; This project will enable further scientific and educational advances in the future,” said Figurel.
At this stage, the PA Science DMZ will consist of a network backbone provided by KeystoneREN, networking equipment and performance tools for each participating campus, and specific scientific applications for each partner institution. The goal of the project is to chart a path forward for addressing the digital divide and cyberinfrastructure needs of participating campuses. Evans said the project will help these schools collaborate and reduce barriers to participating in modern data-driven science practices, leading to changes in approaches to campus information technology, scientific research, and educational programs. .
“The proposed network will foster broader collaboration between institutions, resulting in greater diversity in research teams, new avenues of research, and synergistic contributions.” Swarthmore said Jason Sims, co-lead of the university’s research computing manager. “This project will begin the process of creating digital equity across agencies across the Commonwealth, especially those that are under-resourced.”
Researchers say the PA Science DMZ will serve as an implementation model for a variety of under-resourced institutions across the state, including community colleges, colleges, universities, and public and private K-12 schools.
“The creation of a statewide research network and associated infrastructure will drive subsequent curricular innovation, spur additional investment in hardware and software, and increase the capacity of students, faculty, and cyberinfrastructure professionals at participating institutions.” It will undoubtedly have far-reaching implications that are not yet known, as it will enable skills development,” Evans said. “In this way, this project will serve as a foundation that will enable various downstream activities to build on its success.”
Frederick Adkins, a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and director of IUP STEAMSHOP, is also co-lead on the project.
“We are ready and excited to take advantage of this grant’s new cyberinfrastructure resources and look forward to seeing the impact on data-intensive applications and scientific research programs. ” Adkins said.
If you are interested, please contact the Computational Data Science Institute for more information.
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