IU institute details cloud-based research funding

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — The Pervasive Technology Institute at Indiana University is investing $180,000 for four proposals as part of its Humans Advancing Research in the Cloud program. The PTI says the program aims to advance the use of cloud-based cyberinfrastructure for research. 

The program seeks to achieve its goal by emphasizing the important role people play in supporting cloud-based CI, according to IU. 

The funding will support the work of Cloud Research Support Engineers at the University of Notre Dame, Georgia State University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Arizona State University.

“We are excited to add four new partners to our efforts,” Craig Stewart, executive director of the PTI and executive investigator on the HARC project, said in a news release. “These individuals, working closely with Indiana University, will also expand the resources HARC offers to support the broader community of individuals in these critical roles across the U.S. and globally.”

IU described the proposals that are receiving funding:

University of Notre Dame

• Accelerating machine learning across many research areas using a hybrid cloud approach. This project will use cloud-based computational acceleration resources to target two specific use cases: (1) providing researchers with access to a broader variety of heterogeneous accelerator architectures and (2) providing on-demand, short-term burst access for student teaching and learning objectives, such as machine learning coursework and workshops. Principal investigator: Scott Hampton, assistant director, Center for Research Computing at Notre Dame

Georgia State University

• Cloud computing for research on secure privacy-preserving machine learning. This project contributes to HARC’s goal of fully achieving meaningful results from use of commercial vendor cloud-based cyberinfrastructure to demonstrate the value of these environments in research. Principal investigator: Daniel Takabi, founding director of the INSPIRE Center at GSU

University of Pittsburgh

• Leveraging existing humanware for research in the cloud through judicious bursting. This project will demonstrate the value of cloud offerings to augment even the most substantial premise-based cyberinfrastructure resources by supporting expanded capabilities and capacity available to researchers. Principal investigator: Kim Wong, research associate professor, Center for Researach Computing, University of Pittsburgh

Arizona State University

• Computational materials design in the cloud. This project will explore computationally assisted materials design with direct applications in environmental stewardship. Specifically, the proposed work aims to advance applied research in the development of plastic materials to increase their useful lifespan and simplify recycling efforts by eliminating the need to pre-sort plastics. Principal investigator: Douglas Jennewein, senior director of research technology at ASU

The PTI says the proposals will help advance the overall goals of the HARC program in several ways, including adding to the academic record with publications of their results related to what it says is the important role people play in supporting cloud CI during their research.