Science and engineering research and education are foundational drivers of cyberinfrastructure. Understanding the relationship between sea level rise and melting ice sheets is the application domain of this proposal. It is an issue of global importance, especially for the populations living in coastal regions. Scientists are in need of computationally intensive tools and models that will help them measure and predict the response of ice sheets to climate change. The goal for this project is to create a virtual classroom and a TeraGrid gateway for ice-sheet research and education. The major effort will be to utilize the research perfomed by the NSF Science and Technology Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheeets (CReSIS), for educational purposes, through collaborations with the Minority Serving Institutions Cyberinfrastructure Institute (MSI-C(I)2), and the Association of Computer and Information Science/Engineering Departments at Minority Institutions (ADMI). The vision is to prepare the current and next generation of traditionally, underrepresented, minority scientists, engineers and educators with the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct interdisciplinary research in areas of cyberinfrastructure, remote sensing, engineering and modeling related to glaciers and ice sheets. Broader Impacts: This project brings together effective partners to incorporate both academic year research and summer outreach in conjunction with minority serving institutions to reach a diverse student population.
