UCO Receives Supercomputer Donation from Tinker Air Force Base

April 22, 2022

Media Contact: Chloe Hrdlicka, Marketing and Development Coordinator, UCO College of Mathematics and Science, 405-974-2740, chrdlicka@uco.edu

UCO Receives Supercomputer Donation from Tinker Air Force Base

The University of Central Oklahoma College of Mathematics and Science, in coordination with Tinker Air Force Base (TAFB), is set to receive a Haise Supercomputer cluster through an Educational Partnership Agreement (EPA).

With the use of the Haise Supercomputer cluster, TAFB has been able to advance the art of artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud computing and cluster computing, which is a set of computers that work together and can be viewed as a single system. 

The new supercomputer will be incorporated with UCO’s existing supercomputer cluster, known as Buddy, to expand computing capabilities for research and education across science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. This includes engineering simulations, data science and artificial intelligence research, genomics and assisting the development of a new platform called Computing Oklahoma – a Python Platform for Education and Research (COPPER).

“The donation of the supercomputer cluster from Tinker Air Force Base will expand UCO’s capabilities to perform computational research and education in areas such as microfluidics engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering design, eco-niche modeling using geographic information systems, genomics and a significant expansion of our data science capabilities with Python, R and Tensorflow,” said Evan Lemley, Ph.D., assistant dean of the UCO College of Mathematics and Science and professor for the Department of Engineering and Physics at Central.

“This educational collaboration between UCO and Tinker signals new opportunities for UCO students and faculty and addresses TAFB’s workforce development needs.”

Through the EPA, UCO and TAFB will share collaborative opportunities and resources to advance relationships between UCO faculty and TAFB professionals, as well as provide educational development for Central students. 

“This donation is just one type of Educational Partnership Agreement,” said Maj. Gen. Jeff King, commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex at Tinker Air Force Base.

With another EPA under discussion, “TAFB hopes to better collaborate with UCO, including access to UCO faculty expertise. TAFB will also offer UCO students the opportunity to observe equipment, including the world’s largest electron microscope, advanced techniques in nondestructive inspection engineering, software engineering, reverse engineering and 3D printing of polymers and metals.”

UCO remains committed to the future of STEM programs to prepare graduates for a career in related fields and continue contributing to the local and national economy.

For more information about the UCO College of Mathematics and Science, visit uco.edu/cms.

For more information about Central’s commitment to transformative learning, visit www.uco.edu.

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Editor's Note: Download art associated with this release at https://media.uco.edu/press/uploads/2022/04/uco-and-tinker.jpg

Cutline: The University of Central Oklahoma College of Mathematics and Science, in coordination with Tinker Air Force Base (TAFB), is set to receive a Haise Supercomputer cluster through the first Educational Partnership Agreement (EPA). Pictured, top row left to right, Gloria Caddell, Ph.D., dean of the UCO College of Mathematics and Science; Kristian Olivero, Ph.D., technical director of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex at TAFB; Gang Qian, Ph.D., professor of computer science at UCO; Evan Lemley, Ph.D., assistant dean of the UCO College of Mathematics and Science; Jeremy Peters, acting director of the 76^th Software Maintenance Group at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex at TAFB; Jeffrey Miller, chief information service officer and director of infrastructure in the Department of Information Technology at UCO; Patti Neuhold-Ravikumar, UCO president; and, Mary Matlock, development officer for the Office for Advancement in the College of Mathematics and Science at UCO. Front row left to right, Maj. Gen. Jeff King, commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex at TAFB; and, Art Cotton, vice president of the Office for Advancement at UCO. Photo provided by 2nd Lt. Layinzca Bihlajama.