Supercomputing and the Sciences

Students and faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire can engage in amazing high-performance, data-driven research thanks to a public-private collaboration with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). The only collaboration of its kind in the Midwest, this relationship dramatically increases the university’s supercomputing processing power.

Since high-resolution images and data-driven research are vital in making medical advancements, the HPE supercomputing cluster creates an opportunity for UW-Eau Claire faculty and students to collaborate in a meaningful way with Mayo Clinic Health System physicians. 

Bioinformatics Bachelor's Degree Addresses Critical Need

A new bioinformatics major — an interdisciplinary program that draws on expertise in the university’s biology, computer science and mathematics departments — will be available at UW-Eau Claire beginning in fall 2022. It will be the only bioinformatics program of its kind in the UW System.

“The need for bioinformatics is now greater than ever,” computer science assistant professor Rahul Gomes said. “As modern technology enables us to collect more and more clinical as well as biological data, we require experts who are not only capable of processing the data to gain information but do so in the most optimized fashion to enable a faster and more accurate responses. 

Success at every level

Supercomputing technology creates yet another opportunity for UW-Eau Claire faculty and students to collaborate with Mayo Clinic Health System physicians. This connection will inspire countless innovations. With UWEC and Mayo Clinic Health System leading the way in using the computer cluster, other Chippewa Valley industries are considering how they could also benefit from the technology. Together we're creating a virtual circle of success.

Cutting-edge computation and visionary leadership

Dr. Rajeev Chaudhry — an expert at analyzing enormous datasets to improve patient care — began a new role with Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Dr. Chaudhry’s position includes dedicated time to work with UW-Eau Claire faculty, staff and students on research projects that relate to artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data mining and analysis.

“AI and biomedical informatics is about making better use of that data to take better care of our patients,” said Chaudhry, regional director of AI and biomedical informatics for Mayo Clinic Health System.

Discovering cutting-edge solutions to improving patient care and outcomes received a significant boost when UW-Eau Claire announced its new partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Students, faculty and Mayo Clinic professionals are now conducting high-performance, data-driven research thanks to the impressive supercomputer cluster created at UW-Eau Claire.

Dr. Chaudhry has been working with UW-Eau Claire’s Dr. Rahul Gomes, an assistant professor of computer science, exploring ideas for future collaborations such as the application of deep learning for classification and object detection in biomedical images. Gomes and his students are also developing a framework for using AI to detect and monitor filtering devices used by physicians to reduce risks associated with blood clots.