July 15, 2010

World-class computing continues to increase at NDSU

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Growth of computing capabilities continues to assist NDSU in fulfilling its missions in education, research and outreach. NDSU leaders and U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) called attention to the growth and future plans at a news conference at NDSU’s Research I on July 7. The expansion is coupled with a new network of high-tech cyber-infrastructure funded by federal and state sources.

Dorgan, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has secured more than $21 million for North Dakota’s Center for High Performance Computing at NDSU, also known as the Center for Computationally Assisted Science and Technology (C-CAST).

Dorgan has secured $3.25 million in prior funding for NDSU to connect to the Northern Tier Network, a high-tech cyber-infrastructure that can move large amounts of research data. The White House recently announced that another $7.5 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding that Dorgan supported would be released to boost the Northern Tier Network in 13 states, including North Dakota.

“The combination of the big pipes, which is the Northern Tier Network, and the big power, which is our region’s Center for High Performance Computing, will put NDSU and other North Dakota universities in a stronger position to create cutting-edge labs and build research partnerships on a global level with other universities,” Dorgan said.

“As its research activities continue to grow, NDSU’s Center for High Performance Computing, also known as C-CAST, provides scientists the means to expand frontiers in research,” said Philip Boudjouk, vice president for research, creative activities and technology transfer at NDSU. “Researchers at NDSU use that computing power to make discoveries in nanotechnology, agriculture, computer science, biotechnology and many other fields. Federal funding and additional collaboration allows us to bring robust computing tools to faculty and student researchers.”

“Without the senator’s vision of what is possible to elevate North Dakota’s role on a national level in science and technology, these advances to provide and connect the technology backbone to carry vast amounts of scientific data would not be possible. The federal support for technology infrastructure has come to fruition with Sen. Dorgan’s initiatives at the federal level,” said Bonnie Neas, vice president for information technology at NDSU.

“These investments have helped build one of the most powerful computing systems in the Northern Plains,” Dorgan said. “We’ve built the horsepower to make North Dakota a research powerhouse. It’s another example of the world-class, cutting-edge activities happening in the Red River Valley Research Corridor.”

Technology business leaders and NDSU representatives also participated in a roundtable discussion of successful research, development and commercialization initiatives through the Red River Valley Research Corridor. Innovations include a variety of technologies in aerospace, electronics, coatings and other areas of research.

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