The National Science Foundation awarded Trinity University a $750,000 Major Research Instrumentation grant to upgrade its high-performance computing cluster. The new cluster will feature updated GPU technology and support computing-intensive research across computer science, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology, and other disciplines.
Led by Computer Science Professor Matthew Hibbs, Ph.D., the shared resource will primarily support faculty-student summer research. Projects range from protein aggregation and gene-function prediction to genome assembly and large-scale data analysis.
Expected around the beginning of 2027, the new equipment represents a big leap in terms of graphics processing units, GPUs, which can handle thousands of calculations at once–ideal for research projects. “GPU technology has changed a lot over the last 10 years, so I’m excited for students and faculty to have access to more cutting-edge hardware,” Hibbs said.
Hibbs adds that access to this level of computing gives Trinity students research opportunities more commonly associated with major research universities. “You wouldn’t expect a school like ours to have this kind of resource. But the fact that we do helps us both attract really good faculty and do more impactful research,” Hibbs says.