MSU Named an NVIDIA GPU Education Center

Midwestern State University has been named a GPU Education Center by NVIDIA, a computer technology company that has pioneered GPU-accelerated computing.

GPU Education Centers are recognized institutions that have integrated GPU-accelerated (graphics processing unit) computing into their mainstream science and engineering curriculum. GPU-accelerated computing leverages the parallel processing capabilities of GPU accelerators and enabling software to deliver dramatic increases in performance for scientific, artificial intelligence, deep learning, graphics, engineering, and other demanding applications.

MSU was recognized for its commitment to advancing the state of parallel programming education. MSU offers bachelor's and master's degrees in computer science.

"The College of Science and Mathematics is very pleased that MSU has been recognized by NVIDIA," said Dr. Marcy Brown Marsden, Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics. "Our Computer Science program is one of the largest programs in the college, and we are eager to expand the applications made possible through GPU-accelerated computing at the graduate and undergraduate level."

As a GPU Education Center, MSU will have access to NVIDIA GPU hardware and software, and NVIDIA parallel programming experts and resources, including educational webinars and an array of teaching materials. MSU students and faculty also receive access to free GPU programming training at nvidia.qwiklab.com. The comprehensive, self-paced training spans introductory to expert-level coursework on a range of GPU programming languages, applications, libraries, programming models and tools.

"The world of technology evolves at an incredible pace. In today's world, GPU-accelerated computing and high performance computing (HPC) are a æmust have' set of skills for multiple professionals across multiple disciplines," said Dr. Eduardo Colmenares, Assistant Professor of Computer Science.

Colmenares said that many of the problems faced by scientists around the world involve massive amounts of data, including molecular dynamics, weather simulation, and protein folding. Processing huge amounts of data in a regular desktop or laptop computer is, in some cases, possible, but impractical, particularly when the technology that allows achieving an equally valid solution in a fraction of the time is already available.

"It is through the correct balancing between CPUs and high-performance GPU accelerators that students, faculty members, and scientists around the world are accelerating and achieving innovative, elegant and accurate solutions to some of the most computational challenging problems of our times. These solutions shape our present and our future," Colmenares said. "Thanks to NVIDIA's support, not only will our students have access to the latest technology, information, class and lab materials, but also we as institution will be able to offer an even better and enhanced accelerated computing and HPC experience to all individuals interested in growing, developing, enhancing, and applying these relevant and valuable skills."

For more information, contact Colmenares.