Press Releases Index

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 9, 2007
CONTACT: Bob Cole
Office of University Relations
908-737-NEWS (6397)

Kean University Receives $420,000 National Science
Foundation (NSF) Grant to Fund Super Computer

Computer will be among 500 fastest in the world and the fastest academic computer in New Jersey

UNION, N.J. – The New Jersey Center for Science, Technology and Mathematics Education (NJCSTME) at Kean University has received a $420,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant that will support the acquisition of a 9 TeraFlop cluster computer to support faculty and student research. This computing equipment will enhance computational science research and will be the University's first super computer.

The machine acquisition will represent a 45-fold increase in computing power over Kean University's current fastest computer. It will be among the 500 fastest computers in the world and the fastest academic computer in New Jersey.  

The project grant was written by principal investigator assistant professor David A. Joiner, Ph.D. of Kean University's NJCSTME and co-principal investigator associate professor George Chang, Ph.D. of Kean's Department of Computer Science. "This instrumentation award reflects the continued commitment of Dr. Joiner and Dr. Chang in providing innovative research opportunities for our students," said Dr. Kristie Reilly, dean of the Nathan Weiss Graduate College at Kean University.

In 2003, Kean University established   NJCSTME to respond to the critical and immediate need for highly qualified science and mathematics teachers and for highly trained research scientists.   NJCSTME concentrates on the preparation and training of high school chemistry, biology and mathematics teachers for New Jersey, and professional computational mathematics and biotechnology researchers for industry.

"Kean has a unique opportunity to utilize this resource not only for research, but also for research training and education. Kean has developed courses in Computer Science in parallel programming and has also developed a new degree program in Computational Mathematics. Faculty and students at Kean are partnering with national training efforts in computational science education, including the Computational Science Education reference Desk (a portal to the National Science Digital Library for which Joiner is a co-primary investigator), the National Computational Science Institute, and the Super Computing Education Program. Through these partnerships, we will train our faculty and our students and play a part in national efforts to train the next generation computational workforce," said Reilly.

Intellectual Merit:

Faculty using the cluster will study a variety of topics, and this resource will directly support research in the areas of Meteorology, Bioinformatics, Astrophysics and Nonlinear Optics.

The research team at Kean University will be comprised of four researchers: associate professor Shing Yoh, Ph.D. (Geology and Meteorology), assistant professor Ted Farnum (NJCSTME), Ph.D., Joiner and Chang.

Farnum's area of study includes both applied non-linear optics as well as testing of numerical methods in applied mathematics. Modern telecommunications uses fiber optics to rapidly transmit information, but the speed and reliability of optical networks depend on many factors. Farnum will be studying how different physical properties such as the wave front of optical packets and the index of refraction of the glass used in optical fibers affect the transmission of data.

Joiner's research involves the study of the interstellar medium, in particular the formation and optical properties of interstellar dust particles. Small dust particles in space not only obscure the light from astronomical objects, but also play a crucial role in chemical processes related to the makeup of comets. Joiner will be studying how these particles form from carbon and hydrogen gas in the ejecta of novae and comparing it to our understanding of interstellar chemistry.

"This grant award affirms Dr. Joiner's passion for affording opportunities for students to experience firsthand computational math and science research. Since joining Kean in 2004, he has worked to pursue his research agenda in computational math, always fostering research opportunities for NJCSTME undergraduate students. This National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grant to fund hardware for creation of Kean University's first super computer is a testament to his interests and strengths of coupling technology and research with education," said Dr. Laura Lorentzen, director of the NJCSTME and president-elect, New Jersey Academy of Science.

Chang's research focuses on algorithms for pattern recognition in genetic sequences. Studying comparisons of genetic sequences requires an analysis not just of the specific sequence of genetic information, but also of patterns and structures within that sequence. Chang will be studying techniques for comparing secondary structures within genetic
sequences.

Yoh's research centers on weather modeling, in particular use of the Weather Research & Forecasting (WRF) model. Our ability to accurately predict catastrophic weather events relies on the use of numerically intensive computer models. Yoh will be testing the WRF model, which is used around the world to predict weather events, and comparing it to New Jersey weather to improve the accuracy of weather models.

In addition to supporting the research and mentoring interests of faculty, acquisition of the cluster will allow the NJCSTME to expand its programs and research in computational mathematics and science to support its newly founded Computational Mathematics degree program.

Broader Impact:

Computational science provides a powerful means for analyzing a variety of challenging problems in both basic and applied research from many disciplines, and there exists a national shortage in the resources available, both in individuals and infrastructure. The NJCSTME is engaged in outreach and training efforts to remedy the situation through participation in the National Computational Science Institute and the Super Computing Education Program.   This Kean Terascale super computer will significantly increase the computing capability available at Kean University, providing not only a 45-fold increase in power over Kean's current cluster capabilities, but also with lower latency and greater bandwidth than any resource available on campus--allowing for larger parallel applications with greater communication requirements than possible with current campus resources.  

"With the creation of the new facilities for the New Jersey Center for Science, Technology, and Mathematics Education, Kean will have the scientific visualization, collaboration and meeting facilities to further the impact of this Kean Terascale Cluster project, allowing us to not only meet the research needs of our faculty, but also to be an important resource in high performance computing and a pathway toward use of new national Petascale facilities for Kean University researchers and for the Northern New Jersey area," said Joiner.