Center for Computation and Technology

The Center for Computation and Technology, or CCT, is an interdisciplinary research center located on the campus of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA.

LSU previously housed the Center for Applied Information Technology and Learning, called LSU CAPITAL. In 2003, LSU CAPITAL was integrated as a full research center on LSU’s campus and renamed the Center for Computation and Technology.

CCT’s director is Ed Seidel. Staff include Gabrielle Allen, computer scientist and co-creator of the Cactus Framework; Thomas Sterling, former NASA scientist and co-creator of the Beowulf class cluster that is a building block of the world’s supercomputers; and Susanne Brenner, recipient of the 2005 Humboldt Research Award.

CCT employs 25 full-time faculty members, all of whom hold joint appointments with other LSU departments, such as the Department of Computer Science, the College of Basic Sciences, and the College of Music and Dramatic Arts. The center also has six post-doctoral staff, 30 research staff and 44 graduate students.

The CCT is primarily located in Johnston Hall on the LSU campus, but offices and cyberinfrastructure also are housed in the Frey Computing Services Center. LSU’s Supercomputer, SuperMike, was located in Frey and used for nearly five years for advanced research. In June 2007, SuperMike began being dismantled to make way for construction of the University’s new supercomputer, Tezpur.

Named for one of the world’s hottest peppers, Tezpur is nearly three times as fast as SuperMike, and is one of the most powerful supercomputers owned by any university in the nation. Tezpur also is one of the 50 most powerful supercomputers in the worldFact|date=August 2007.

Tezpur allows CCT researchers to use the resources of the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative, or LONI, a high-speed, fiber optic network that links supercomputers at the state’s major research institutions, allowing greater collaboration on research that produces results faster and with greater accuracy. LONI puts the state on the National Lambda Rail, allowing Louisiana researchers to collaborate with scientists around the country.

CCT also houses the Laboratory for Creative Arts & Technology, or LCAT, which provides a forum and facility for faculty and researchers to explore the links between technology and creativity. The lab, located in the basement of Johnston, houses dedicated research labs for audio, video, HD collaboration and tangible technologies.

The Red Stick International Animation Festival, which was first launched by LCAT as a way of demonstrating the links between creativity and the CCT's high-performance computing, is an annual event in downtown Baton Rouge that brings together artists, animators, filmmakers, computer scientists and also animation enthusiasts to showcase the latest developments in Louisiana's digital arts and technology sectors.

External links

* [http://www.cct.lsu.edu CCT homepage]