Center for Computation and Technology
Encyclopedia
The Center for Computation and Technology, or CCT, is an interdisciplinary research center
located on the campus
of Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge, LA.
LSU previously housed the Center for Applied Information Technology and Learning, called LSU CAPITAL. In 2003, LSU CAPITAL was integrated as a full research center on LSU’s campus and renamed the Center for Computation and Technology.
CCT’s first director was Ed Seidel
. Seidel led the CCT from 2003–2008, then accepted a position as director of the National Science Foundation's Office of Cyberinfrastructure. CCT faculty members Stephen David Beck and Jorge Pullin
served as Interim Co-directors from 2008- 2010. In December 2010, Joel Tohline, the interim director of the original LSU CAPITAL, was named CCT director.
Other faculty and executive staff members at the CCT include Gabrielle Allen, computer scientist and co-creator of the Cactus Framework
; Thomas Sterling
, former NASA
scientist and co-creator of the Beowulf class cluster
that is a building block of the world’s supercomputer
s; and Susanne Brenner, recipient of the 2005 Humboldt Research Award.
CCT employs 30 full-time faculty members, all of whom hold joint appointments with other LSU departments, such as the Department of Computer Science, the College of Basic Sciences, and the College of Music and Dramatic Arts. The center also has six post-doctoral staff, 30 research staff and 44 graduate students.
The CCT is primarily located in Johnston Hall on the LSU campus, but offices and cyberinfrastructure also are housed in the Frey Computing Services Center. LSU’s Supercomputer, SuperMike, was located in Frey and used for nearly five years for advanced research. In June 2007, SuperMike began being dismantled to make way for construction of the University’s new supercomputer, Tezpur.
Named for one of the world’s hottest peppers, Tezpur is nearly three times as fast as SuperMike, and is one of the most powerful supercomputers owned by any university in the nation. Tezpur was one of the 50 most powerful supercomputers in the world when it was launched.
Tezpur allows CCT researchers to use the resources of the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative, or LONI, a high-speed, fiber optic network that links supercomputers at the state’s major research institutions, allowing greater collaboration on research that produces results faster and with greater accuracy. LONI puts the state on the National Lambda Rail, allowing Louisiana researchers to collaborate with scientists around the country.
CCT also houses the Laboratory for Creative Arts & Technology, or LCAT, which provides a forum and facility for faculty and researchers to explore the links between technology and creativity. The lab, located in the basement of Johnston, houses dedicated research labs for audio, video, HD collaboration and tangible technologies.
The Red Stick International Animation Festival
, which was first launched by LCAT as a way of demonstrating the links between creativity and the CCT's high-performance computing, is an annual event in downtown Baton Rouge that brings together artists, animators, filmmakers, computer scientists and also animation
enthusiasts to showcase the latest developments in Louisiana's digital arts and technology sectors. CCT was also home to Nemeaux
, one of the nation's only clusters dedicated to the arts. After five years of service, Nemeaux was turned off in October 2009.
Research center
A research center is a facility or building dedicated to research, commonly with the focus on a specific area. There are over 14,000 research centers in the United States...
located on the campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
of Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rouge, LA.
LSU previously housed the Center for Applied Information Technology and Learning, called LSU CAPITAL. In 2003, LSU CAPITAL was integrated as a full research center on LSU’s campus and renamed the Center for Computation and Technology.
CCT’s first director was Ed Seidel
Ed Seidel
Edward Seidel is currently Assistant Director for Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the National Science Foundation, was formerly Director of NSF's Office of Cyberinfrastructure , and continues as the Floating Point Systems Professor in Louisiana State University's Departments of Physics and...
. Seidel led the CCT from 2003–2008, then accepted a position as director of the National Science Foundation's Office of Cyberinfrastructure. CCT faculty members Stephen David Beck and Jorge Pullin
Jorge Pullin
Jorge Pullin is the Horace Hearne Chair in theoretical Physics at the Louisiana State University, known for his work on black hole collisions and quantum gravity.-Biography:...
served as Interim Co-directors from 2008- 2010. In December 2010, Joel Tohline, the interim director of the original LSU CAPITAL, was named CCT director.
Other faculty and executive staff members at the CCT include Gabrielle Allen, computer scientist and co-creator of the Cactus Framework
Cactus Framework
Cactus is an open-source, problem-solving environment designed for scientists and engineers. Its modular structure easily enables parallel computation across different architectures and collaborative code development between different groups...
; Thomas Sterling
Thomas Sterling (computing)
Dr. Thomas Sterling is currently a Professor of Computer Science at Louisiana State University, a Faculty Associate at California Institute of Technology, and a Distinguished Visiting Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He received his PhD as a Hertz Fellow from MIT in 1984...
, former NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
scientist and co-creator of the Beowulf class cluster
Beowulf (computing)
A Beowulf cluster is a computer cluster of what are normally identical, commodity-grade computers networked into a small local area network with libraries and programs installed which allow processing to be shared among them...
that is a building block of the world’s supercomputer
Supercomputer
A supercomputer is a computer at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation.Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as problems including quantum physics, weather forecasting, climate research, molecular modeling A supercomputer is a...
s; and Susanne Brenner, recipient of the 2005 Humboldt Research Award.
CCT employs 30 full-time faculty members, all of whom hold joint appointments with other LSU departments, such as the Department of Computer Science, the College of Basic Sciences, and the College of Music and Dramatic Arts. The center also has six post-doctoral staff, 30 research staff and 44 graduate students.
The CCT is primarily located in Johnston Hall on the LSU campus, but offices and cyberinfrastructure also are housed in the Frey Computing Services Center. LSU’s Supercomputer, SuperMike, was located in Frey and used for nearly five years for advanced research. In June 2007, SuperMike began being dismantled to make way for construction of the University’s new supercomputer, Tezpur.
Named for one of the world’s hottest peppers, Tezpur is nearly three times as fast as SuperMike, and is one of the most powerful supercomputers owned by any university in the nation. Tezpur was one of the 50 most powerful supercomputers in the world when it was launched.
Tezpur allows CCT researchers to use the resources of the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative, or LONI, a high-speed, fiber optic network that links supercomputers at the state’s major research institutions, allowing greater collaboration on research that produces results faster and with greater accuracy. LONI puts the state on the National Lambda Rail, allowing Louisiana researchers to collaborate with scientists around the country.
CCT also houses the Laboratory for Creative Arts & Technology, or LCAT, which provides a forum and facility for faculty and researchers to explore the links between technology and creativity. The lab, located in the basement of Johnston, houses dedicated research labs for audio, video, HD collaboration and tangible technologies.
The Red Stick International Animation Festival
Red Stick International Animation Festival
The Red Stick International Animation Festival is an annual event is hosted by the Lab for Creative Arts & Technologies , a research group within the Louisiana State University's Center for Computation and Technology. The first festival took place from April 21 until April 23, 2005, and has...
, which was first launched by LCAT as a way of demonstrating the links between creativity and the CCT's high-performance computing, is an annual event in downtown Baton Rouge that brings together artists, animators, filmmakers, computer scientists and also animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
enthusiasts to showcase the latest developments in Louisiana's digital arts and technology sectors. CCT was also home to Nemeaux
Nemeaux
Nemeaux is a supercomputer at the Louisiana State University Center for Computation & Technology. Nemeaux consists of thirty-two Xserve G5 computers, with an additional dedicated head node. It was purchased with a US$114,000 grant from the Louisiana Board of Regents...
, one of the nation's only clusters dedicated to the arts. After five years of service, Nemeaux was turned off in October 2009.