Summer 2008 — Vol. 61, No. 3

Clemson is emerging as an information technology leader not only in the state but also in the nation. In two years, the University has built an IT environment and organization that have brought it to the forefront in higher education. In fact, according to TOP500 (June 2008), Clemson has the No. 62 supercomputing site in the world.

Information technology is evolving worldwide to include much more than just technology. The concept of cyberinfrastructure has many definitions; but just as the term infrastructure refers collectively to the roads, power grids, telephone systems, rail lines and similar public works required for an industrial economy, the term cyberinfrastructure refers to the foundational components of distributed computer, information and communication technologies. As infrastructure is required for an industrial economy, cyberinfrastructure is required for a knowledge economy. That’s what Clemson is building.

Cyberinfrastructure permits a new kind of scholarly inquiry and educational process, empowering communities to innovate and revolutionize what they do, how they do it and who participates. Cyberinfrastructure is about creating a culture of collaboration, both within and across disciplines. As research and education have grown increasingly computational and data-driven, collaboration (especially electronic collaboration) in every academic discipline has become essential.

By building strong infrastructure, Clemson is attracting top faculty, enriching students’ educational experience and helping South Carolina compete with other states that previously outranked us in IT capacity for economic development.

Thanks to creative partnerships and inventive ways of increasing capacities while keeping costs down, Clemson is making leaps in technology while being smart about its investments. In fact, Clemson’s all-around information technology advances are making it an “IT model” for other universities.

What’s all the buzz about?

A university’s strategically planned cyberinfrastructure means greater capacity for research, education and outreach opportunities. In other words, it’s a foundation for everything we do both now and in the future.

“The University has recognized the absolute necessity of a strong cyberinfrastructure and has prioritized it through appropriate funding and by making it the core of our new academic plan,” says Dori Helms, provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Clemson Computing and Information Technology (CCIT) staff — led by Jim Bottum, chief information officer and vice provost for computing and IT — set out to update, rebuild and greatly expand Clemson’s computing foundation.

So far, they have

• nearly completed an $8 million campus network upgrade;
• centralized and integrated services;
• completed a major upgrade to the University’s main data center (which now allows significant advances in high-performance computing and data storage, and network and systems monitoring);
• given researchers a pipeline for collaboration and grant access;
• assumed leadership in multiple S.C. cyberinfrastructure alliances.

Superhighway to research

Clemson has scored a major advantage by creating a regional optical network known as C-Light, a fiber-optic high-speed highway. It provides the foundation for research, academic and economic advancements that were previously impossible.

“C-Light is South Carolina’s first and only connection to the national and international computing infrastructure. It puts Clemson ‘on the map’ in a big way,” says Bottum.

C-Light connects Clemson, Greenville and Atlanta, providing direct access to the National Lambda Rail, Internet2 and other national and international research networks. Work is also under way to complete a connection to Charlotte, which will add redundancy (backup) to this critical new link to the research and high-performance computing world.

Innovative industry partnerships valued at $2.4 million in startup gifts-in-kind funded the project with no additional burden to the University’s education and general budget or to S.C. taxpayers.

World-class workspace

Not only do researchers need access to the cyber superhighway, they need vast and flexible computing capabilities to conduct their research, collaborate, store and analyze huge amounts of data.

Part of the solution is a next-generation high-performance computing cluster. The Palmetto Cluster — a supercomputer developed by CCIT in collaboration with researchers across the University — is an innovative example of a shared computing infrastructure and a key point in attracting top faculty.

The research enabled by the Palmetto Cluster already runs the gamut from cross-layer protocol design of wireless communication networks to simulations in molecular dynamics to human developmental studies.

The system is both innovative and cost effective because it’s based on a “condominium cluster” concept that uses small computer arrays assembled into larger units, much like a condominium complex. The cluster can be provisioned, configured and managed as faculty and research needs dictate. Faculty grants pay for a significant portion of the hardware (computing nodes) while CCIT provides the rest of the nodes along with the infrastructure to support it all.

What about students?

In addition to paying attention to what faculty need, CCIT has listened carefully to students as well. In fact, CCIT is as “customer-driven” as it is “cyber-driven.” It’s already increasing the numerous new services like Google Apps for Education, a partnership developed by Clemson’s student government, CCIT and Google.

As for technical support, for the first time, students (as well as faculty and staff) have a central location — the CCIT Customer Support Center in the University Union — to go for help. Support hours have increased, too, and staffers have consistent training so they operate with a higher level of professionalism. They also have Mac training, so Apple users can now get local support.

Students have a wealth of new technical features, making study, class work and research faster and more efficient. For example, instead of physically searching for open printers across campus, they can access “iprint” from their laptops, check the list of available printers and select the ones they need. On a much larger scale than technical support and ease of computing, students are the beneficiaries of all technological advances at Clemson.

National player, innovative leader

As the University expands and strengthens its own cyberinfrastructure, it’s playing a leading role for the state and higher education.

Clemson is providing guidance for the S.C. Computing Consortium (SC3), a coalition of five major research institutions in South Carolina including USC, MUSC, Hollings Marine Laboratory and Savannah River National Laboratory. Last year, the consortium created the state’s first presence at SC07, the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis.

Earlier this year, Clemson Computing and Information Technology hosted a national-level conference — Ci Days — designed to explore innovative ways to integrate information technology into teaching, research and outreach programs.

Nearly 350 faculty members, graduate students, IT staff and state research partners came together for three days with national agencies and providers of cyberinfrastructure resources and services. The outcome was new working alliances to develop and deploy a strong cyberinfrastructure at Clemson and throughout the state.

President Jim Barker says, “The work that Clemson is doing in cyberinfrastructure not only positions us as a national player, it is garnering international recognition that Clemson is an innovative leader in the areas of IT-enabled research and education.”

To learn more about Clemson Computing and Information Technology, go to www.clemson.edu/ccit.