UC Berkeley Launches Compute Hub

The California Education Learning Lab (Learning Lab) has awarded UC Berkeley a 3-year $1.5 million grant to kick off a computing technology hub for the state’s public colleges and universities. Learning Lab is a state-funded organization that gives grants toward faculty-headed projects in California's college and university settings, particularly for STEM-related work.

The hub will allow access to course material for students statewide. The coursework is built on the JupyterHubplatform, a cloud-based, open-source system already in use in the science and industrial settings. It will be operated by Berkeley for several California higher education institutions.

“This approach ensures that the data science education we provide across California prepares students really well by using the same technology and tools that they'll use in future endeavors,” says John DeNero, co-principal investigator on the grant, and faculty director of Berkeley’s Data Science Undergraduate Studies program. Matthew Sherburne, assistant dean of international partnerships for the College of Engineering, is a co-principal investigator on the grant. DeNero is also an associate teaching professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

The principal investigators anticipate that this hub, named the California Interactive Computing Open Resource, will help more than 5,000 students in California by fall 2027. A larger goal is that more than 50,000 students across STEM fields will be reached.

The Berkeley team will build the computing open resource platform on the JupyterHub system. First, it will keep class materials, including Jupyter notebooks, for modules in various courses that explain how data science techniques can be applied to a range of subjects.

Through using the notebooks students can work on problems like complex data visualizations and data management no matter the limits of their computer’s power. Also, students won't need complex software setups. The team will train educators witb tools and other technology support to customizecourses for students and to build their own courses for the platform.

“Ensuring open and equitable access to learning opportunities is a guiding principle at Berkeley,” says Sherburne, who is a lecturer in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. “By housing the hub at Berkeley, we can leverage the technical expertise in both colleges to help students across California access data science course content sustainably and equitably.”

“Eventually, we hope that every California community college, CSU, or UC that wants to be part of the hub can join,” says Lark Park, the Learning Lab’s director. “This could be a great model for how shared teaching technology, tools, and resources can support both faculty and students in California.” 

The team will invite engagement through existing higher education networks like the California Alliance for Data Science Education and the California Engineering Liaison Council. 

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.