The National Science Foundation's Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure awarded Webster University $300,000 on January 1, 2027, under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering program (CFDA 47.070) to develop, implement, and evaluate a peer-mentored cyberinfrastructure training program for undergraduate students at primarily undergraduate institutions.
The project delivers intensive summer bootcamps followed by academic-year mentoring and research activities using the Hellbender high-performance computing cluster. Training covers Linux, Python, Jupyter Notebooks, job scheduling systems, parallel computing concepts, and reproducible computational workflows. Participants select project pathways aligned with their interests, including independent projects, faculty-supervised research, or discipline-specific work in areas such as computational chemistry. A distinctive feature is the use of advanced undergraduate peer mentors who guide participants through technical challenges while building computational problem-solving skills and sense of belonging within the cyberinfrastructure community.
Webster University, located in Webster Groves, Missouri, is the recipient. The period of performance runs from January 1, 2027, through December 31, 2028. The project addresses limited access to hands-on experience with advanced computing at smaller institutions by creating a scalable model for cyberinfrastructure training that prepares undergraduate students to become effective users of high-performance computing and data-intensive research technologies across STEM disciplines.