A University of Hawaii project that aims to grow cyberinfrastructure adoption, capacity and training in the Pacific region was awarded a five-year, $6.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, it was announced last week.
According to a July 22 announcement from UH, the project, which is led by the UH System, will offer "services, education and research programs to engage faculty, researchers and students in advanced cyberinfrastructure."
According to the announcement, cyberinfrastsructure is the "integrated computing systems, data storage and management facilities, advanced instruments, visualization environments and the people who operate and manage them."
“This cyberinfrastructure initiative is crucial for advancing our region’s technological capabilities and ensuring we remain competitive in the global digital landscape,” project principal investigator Sean Cleveland, UH System interim director of cyberinfrastructure, said in a statement. “By investing in local talent and encouraging collaboration among institutions, we are not only advancing scientific research and education but also creating a foundation for innovations that will benefit our workforce and communities.”
Cyberinfrastructure is the "backbone of modern research and innovation, enabling large-scale data analysis, simulations, and collaborative work in various fields, which could potentially lead to the development of better weather predictions, innovative tech jobs and improved healthcare," the announcement noted, adding that the effort is expected to create pathways for greater adoption and capacity of cyberinfrastructure, in turn "supporting long-term regional research growth."
“Building human capacity to support advanced cyberinfrastructure is the critical catalyst to sustaining long-term growth in leading-edge computational and data centered research throughout the Pacific region,” UH Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer Garret Yoshimi said in a statement. “Collaboration among our partners will effectively extend the beneficial impacts throughout our research communities.”
According to the announcement, the project aims to "train and embed" more than 200 undergraduates and 15 graduate students who will apply advanced cyberinfrastructure technologies and methods to "cutting-edge research projects," and also will introduce more than 100 workshops and new curriculum modules to "increase cyberinfrastructure awareness and skills across numerous research domains."
Project leaders also expect that the model of shared cyberinfrastructure expertise, leading practices and strategies will be shared with communities and institutions nationwide, the announcement further noted.
Other experts and co-principal investigators include Helen Turner from Chaminade University, Vincent Dela Cruz from University of Guam and Maytal Dahan and Joe Stubbs from the Texas Advanced Computing Center, according to UH.
