Overview
The Research Computing and Data (RCD) team is a division of CCIT that enhances the research capabilities of Clemson University by providing innovative research computing and storage solutions. Our team maintains several systems that elevate research campus-wide, including the Palmetto 2 high-performance computing (HPC) cluster and the Indigo Data Lake. We strive to support all students, faculty and staff in their research by providing comprehensive user support through tickets, office hours, training programs, workshops and more.
History
Clemson University's current High-Performance Computing (HPC) program is the result of strategic leadership, collaborative investment and innovative user support since 2007. Clemson’s “Palmetto 2” HPC cluster serves a large and growing scope of activities spanning nearly all academic disciplines. These activities take many forms, including students using Palmetto for class assignments, faculty and graduate students running large-scale chemistry simulations and researchers building Artificial Intelligence models to predict promising new materials and analyze medical images or Shakespeare.
In 2006, Clemson University's Provost Dori Helms recruited Jim Bottum, a national HPC leader, to develop an HPC program for the campus. Although many individual faculty had been important HPC pioneers within their departments and disciplines, the Provost’s vision for establishing a democratized, campus wide resource and user community was a bold one.
Clemson's first campus HPC cluster was named Palmetto after the state tree of South Carolina, beginning operation in 2008. The user community has continuously grown by continuously recruiting non-traditional users of HPC through training, collaboration and improving Palmetto’s usability.
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Structure
RCD has several functional groups that each focus on a different need for the research computing community. You can learn more about each group on our Service Areas page.
People
Research Computing and Data is comprised of full-time staff members who are dedicated to supporting faculty, students and staff at Clemson University. RCD is under the direction of Associate Vice President, Jill Gemmill.
News and Announcements
Facilities
RCD has physical locations on and off Clemson University's main campus in Clemson, South Carolina. Staff work at various locations to ensure infrastructure is working and collaborate with faculty, staff and students.
ReDCAT
ReDCAT is a user group that represents users and/or equipment owners of the Palmetto High-Performance Computing cluster. ReDCAT advises the cluster team regarding operational decisions. As a user group, ReDCAT is not a faculty committee as defined in the faculty manual.
In The News
A new faculty user group called The Research and Data Computational Advisory Team (ReDCAT) has been launched in partnership with Clemson University’s Research Computing and Data (RCD) group within Computing and Information Technology (CCIT). ReDCAT comprises University faculty members who use high-performance computing (HPC) resources like the Palmetto cluster and depend on these resources for their teaching and research.
