The Northwestern University High Performance Data Network (HPDNet) supports data intensive scientific research by providing high performance interconnects among select research laboratories, teaching environments, and instrumentation facilities on and between the two primary campuses of Northwestern University, thereby enhancing research capabilities and significantly expanding opportunities for interdisciplinary research. The research projects directly impacted by this network include:
* Computational Chemistry: enabled visualization of terabyte-sized datasets aimed at understanding how DNA structures and mechanical properties influence binding to proteins.
* Chemical Engineering: transfer of large datasets to analytical facilities used to explore reduction of automotive emissions, development of fuel cells, and green chemistry processes.
* Theoretical Chemistry: movement of large datasets between the campus and national facilities used in the exploration of charge transfer in molecular systems.
* High-Energy Physics: Accelerated the movement and analysis of multi-terabyte datasets being generated as part of the Higgs Boson discovery project
* Nanoscale Science: transfer of large-scale 3-dimensional optical imaging of nanoparticles in cells, which allows the ability to monitor intracellular movement, to computer clusters for analysis.
This network has direct impact on the undergraduate and graduate research and training capabilities in the departments and labs represented by these projects, broadening access to internal and external research resources through interconnects among multiple regional, national and international facilities.
The network is implemented as a long term resource within a wider science networking strategic plan targeted towards enhancing scientific research, teaching and collaboration with an emphasis on enhancing venues for hands-on participation in scientific researcher by undergraduate students.
