Video: How ORNL is Bridging the Gap between Computing and Facilities

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jimIn this video from the 2016 HPC User Forum in Austin, Jim Serafin from ORNL presents: Data Center Management Minor at UT-Knoxville: Bridging the Gap between Computing and Facilities.

“There’s an emerging gap in skilled managers with sufficient understanding of both computing and facilities needed to tackle the unique challenges of large data center environments, and this course is the beginning of an effort to bridge that gap,” said Jim Serafin, complex manager of Computational Facilities at ORNL. “It’s a good way for the lab to reach out to the best and brightest at UT and expose them to these unique opportunities. It’s also a great experience for our folks to share all the knowledge we’ve acquired operating and managing high-performance computing systems and their power and cooling infrastructure.”

Starting in 2015, Oak Ridge National Laboratory partnered with the University of Tennessee to offer a minor-degree program in data center technology and management, one of the first offerings of its kind in the country. The program is anchored by a new course, ECE 463: Introduction to Datacenters, designed to give students a broad overview of designing and operating such a center. ORNL staff members developed the senior-level course in collaboration with UT College of Engineering professor Mark Dean after an ORNL strategic partner identified a need for employees who could bridge both the facilities and operational aspects of running a data center. In addition to developing the course curriculum, ORNL staff members are also serving as guest lecturers.

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