The College of New Jersey has received a $935,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to enhance its undergraduate student research. The funds will be used to upgrade the Electronic Laboratory for Science and Analysis (ELSA) High-Performance Computing cluster, which supports the computational needs of the Schools of Science and Engineering. The new equipment will allow students and faculty to explore artificial intelligence and other recent technological trends, including the use of high-powered graphical processing units. The cluster is also used in teaching, exposing TCNJ undergraduates to advanced computing.
ELSA plays a crucial role in training students in algorithm development, data analysis, and visualization. By incorporating computational research in various scientific disciplines, students gain valuable skills that are applicable to their future careers. Shawn Sivy, the HPC system administrator at TCNJ, believes that the grant will significantly impact the instrument, allowing researchers to utilize machine learning and artificial intelligence to efficiently process large amounts of scientific data. Furthermore, the grant will enable TCNJ to continue participating in the Open Science Grid Consortium, a national infrastructure that promotes the advancement of open science through distributed high-throughput computing and shared data capacity.
By enhancing the ELSA cluster, TCNJ ensures that its students receive state-of-the-art training in computational methods. The inclusion of high-powered graphical processing units enables the college to remain at the forefront of research in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. Additionally, the cluster’s integration in teaching exposes a large number of students to advanced computing, shaping them into well-rounded and technologically skilled graduates. The upgrading of ELSA not only benefits TCNJ but also strengthens its affiliation with the Open Science Grid Consortium, allowing the college to tackle a wider range of scientific problems and contribute to the broader advancement of open science.
