Category: Research Computing

Research Computing Support Available Remotely

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Research computing consulting support is now available through remote channels. Based on the precautions taken by the university regarding the COVID-19 virus, facilitators who normally hold walk-in hours on campus are available via Zoom. The online support options for UF’s research community include:

  • Visiting the Research Computing website for information on services and the current status of HiPerGator.
  • Posting questions in the Slack #support channel. Research Computing staff monitor the channel and reply as quickly as possible. Use this link to join.
  • Attending a Zoom meeting during the listed walk-in hours. Please allow at least 5-10 minutes for your request to be acknowledged. If a facilitator is in another meeting, your Zoom call will be placed in a waiting room and answered as quickly as possible. Personal Zoom links are available here.

Researchers are welcome to contact Erik Deumens, director of Research Computing, about their consulting support needs.

ResVault is UF’s Ultra-Secure Bank for Restricted Data

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UF’s ResVault meets the NIST 800-171 requirements, enabling scientists and collaborators to conduct research on restricted and confidential data. The new ResVault brochure is now online.

“We worked with UFIT to develop a robust environment that meets the very strict federal information security guidelines,” says Roland Estrella, clinical research manager for the Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics. “The ResVault environment provides authorized users with on-demand access to linked data from multiple state agencies and has the capacity to process billions of medical and administrative records.”

Think of ResVault as a bank vault for restricted data. Like a bank, account holders can purchase a “safety deposit box” to store valuables. That box is a highly controlled environment where only authenticated, authorized users can work on the restricted data stored there. ResVault also has significant privacy protocols that protect what’s stored there from other customers and staff. When you want to access data stored in your ResVault, you have your own secure area to privately do so.

Researchers who would like to use ResVault may contact Brian Parks, Senior Information Systems Operations Analyst with UFIT Research Computing.

UF Data Center Grand Opening

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On May 7, UF administrators, research faculty, Dell executives, and Gainesville community leaders gathered at the East Campus to celebrate the grand opening of the UF Data Center. The event marked the unveiling of one of the most powerful university-based supercomputers in the country: HiPerGator.

“The UF Data Center is home to the fastest supercomputer in Florida, enabling UF and the state to recruit the brightest scholars from around the world,” said Vice President and CIO Elias Eldayrie. “Our expanded computing capacity will reap global dividends scientifically and strengthen Florida as a hub for technology and innovation.”

HiPerGator will attract the best faculty and post-doc candidates because of the supercomputer’s ability to process ‘big data’. The computational speed of HiPerGator is an astounding 150 trillion calculations per second. What does this mean? Data is processed faster, allowing faculty to analyze research and move/share findings with top institutions around the world. Before HiPerGator, UF professor David Ostrov needed months to conduct drug tests. Now, computations can be done in just hours.

“HiPerGator can help drugs get from the computer to the clinic more quickly. We want to discover and deliver safe, effective therapies that protect or restore people’s health as soon as we can,” Ostrov said.

Check out the HiPerGator fact sheet to learn more about the first supercomputer in the state of Florida! Additional information is available on the Research Computing Web page or by contacting UF Research Computing.