CSUSB’s High Performance Computing Program (HPCP) was honored with the 2024 Innovations in Networking Award for Research Applications by CENIC (Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California) for supporting faculty with National Research Platform (NRP) resources. The award recognizes exemplary people, projects and organizations that leverage high-bandwidth networking.

Led by researchers and cyberinfrastructure professionals at UC San Diego, NRP allows researchers and educators in California, nationwide and internationally to store, transfer and access vast amounts of information regardless of geographical distance.

The National Research Platform is a partnership of over 50 institutions in the U.S. and a national open-access, scalable cyberinfrastructure for research and education. 

Samuel Sudhakar, chief financial officer and vice president for the division of finance, technology and operations; Youngsu Kim, assistant professor of mathematics and High Performance Computing faculty fellow; and Dung Vu, lead High Performance Computing analyst, oversee the HPCP and collaborative work with the National Research Platform.

“The High Performance Computing Program at CSUSB supported by the National Research Platform and CENIC has opened up tremendous opportunities for faculty-led innovation and research at our university,” said Sudhakar. “We are grateful for the collaboration we have with NRP and CENIC, and the funding from NSF to grow and expand the HPC resources we provide our faculty.”

Examples of HPCP-supported projects include the reconstruction of a virtual archaeological site by Kate Liszka, professor of history and Benson and Pamela Harer Fellow in Egyptology, and Bryan Kraemer, Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art's research Egyptologist and educator. Together, they created an interactive 3D model of a large archaeological site in southeastern Egypt, Wadi el Hudi, from 91,000 still images.

In addition, the team of Benjamin Becerra, assistant professor of information and decision sciences and director of grants and research support for CSUSB’s Center for Health Equity, is working on developing predictive models for pediatric obstructive sleep apnea using large datasets from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Resources and support provided by the HPCP has also led to research in the study and testing of materials to determine their usefulness by CSUSB’s Center for Advanced Functional Materials, as well as research by CSUSB’s Department of Information and Decision Sciences, which focuses on mathematical models to route and schedule drones to monitor and respond to traffic flow and emergency situations.

Sudhakar, Kim, Vu, and their team’s work has been instrumental in supporting CSUSB faculty research endeavors and providing them the tools and resources to access and manipulate vast amounts of data, which is crucial for researchers and educators in California and nationwide, as well as for international collaborations.

About CENIC
CENIC is a nonprofit that advances education and research in California by providing a network essential for innovation, collaboration and economic growth. It operates the California Research and Education Network (CalREN), a high-capacity computer network that serves over 20 million users in California.