By Dani Wong, News Correspondent
Eager to establish its presence on the forefront of technological innovation, Northeastern University has teamed up with the Patrick-Murray Administration, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, The City of Holyoke, private partners EMC and Cisco and a group of colleges known as the University Consortium to launch a new high-speed computing center in Holyoke.
The Consortium consists of MIT, the University of Massachusetts, Harvard, Boston University and Northeastern.
“There have been a number of milestones during this process, including increased collaboration and the formation of the academic consortium,” said Kofi Jones, director of communications and public affairs for the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development.
Plans for the center were originally announced in June 2009, but the project became solidified in October 2010.
“The collaboration became official more than a year before the groundbreaking. The governor, President [of MIT Susan] Hockfield, and President Wilson [of the UMass schools] began discussing plans to bring the computing center to life,” Jones said.
“There have been a number of benchmark decisions along the way: naming an executive director, expanding the Consortium, acquisition of the Bigelow Street lot, obtaining commitments of funds from various collaborators … so, it has been an ongoing process that actually moved quite quickly if you think about the magnitude of the high performance computing center.”
With an estimated construction timeline of 18 to 24 months, the MGHPCC will open sometime during 2012. Jones said operations have been running smoothly so far, thanks to a reliable team.
“Planning a project of this magnitude is a large process with many parts, but I can’t say that we’ve hit any problems,” Jones said.
The MGHPCC represents the largest investment in the city of Holyoke in over 50 years. EMC and Cisco contributed a combined total of $5 million toward the project, while the Patrick-Murray Administration and the University consortium pledged 75 million.
The center will have office space for industry and academic partners to conduct research, Jones said.
“In addition, the universities have pledged to launch education andwork force programs with Holyoke public schools, Holyoke Community College, Springfield Technical College and community based organizations in the area,” he said.
The MGHPCC is also intended to have a positive impact on economic development in the Holyoke region.
“Ultimately, it will support economic development not only in Holyoke, but throughout the region, so we expect it to kind of be a magnet for long term job growth because of the uniqueness and strength of the project as whole,” he said.
Along with the rest of the collaboration team, Jones feels that the center will bring positive change on a large scale.
“This will truly bring a vibrant innovation economy to the pioneer valley. It’ll be a magnet for academic research, for long-term economic growth, it will really give a true boost to the economy throughout the whole region,” Jones said.
“Increasingly, the university is doing a lot more in the area of high-performance computing. It’s well known that we’re dramatically increasing our research enterprise,” Michael Armini, Northeastern’s Senior Vice President for External Affairs, said.
Armini explained Northeastern’s main reasoning behind collaborating with the rest of the consortium.
“If each university had done this alone, it would have cost a lot more. But by joining forces, we are able to do this more efficiently,” he said.
Larry Cheung, a freshman business major, said he fully supports the MGHPCC initiative.
“Our school’s involvement and contribution to this project shows that Northeastern University understands today’s environmental concerns, and does its best to support technology that meets environmental standards,” Cheung said.
Evan Shafer, a freshman History major, agreed with Cheung about the benefits of the center. “Its nice that Northeastern is involved with a project like this, it’s a positive thing for the community,” he said.“At a time when jobs are scarce and unemployment is still at record levels, funding a project that will create jobs benefits the general welfare at large.”
Although many people commend the schools efforts, others remain skeptical.
Malhar Teli, a freshman international business major, expressed his concern.
“I believe this is an excellent example of what universities can achieve when they work together. I think that this is a brilliant idea. But I’m a little bit worried about how this will be a resource for the students of all three institutions. I mean, obviously Mount Holyoke students will have easy access to it, and will probably use it to its full advantage,” he said.
