The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $10 million to the Pervasive Technology Institute at Indiana University (IU) in collaboration with University of �鶹��ý, University of Texas at Austin’s Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), Arizona State University (ASU) and Cornell University to deploy Jetstream 2, a nationwide distributed cloud computing system that supports on-demand research, artificial intelligence (AI) and enhanced large-scale data analysis.

“We are delighted and honored to be part of the Jetstream 2 project with a remarkable team of national collaborators,” said UH President David Lassner. “The focus on artificial intelligence and deep machine learning to support data-intensive scholarship will directly advance our research enterprise, educational opportunities for our students, and our work to diversify �鶹��ý’s economy.”

Jetstream 2, an infrastructure project that will provide an 8 petaFLOPS (a unit of computing speed equal to one thousand million million (10¹⁵) floating-point operations per second) cloud computing system is designed to meet the growing needs of national science and engineering communities.

Consisting of five computational systems, Jetstream 2’s primary system will be located at IU, with four smaller regional systems deployed nationwide at partners ASU, Cornell, UH and TACC. Jetstream 2 will enable thousands of scientific products from a diverse group of scientists in need of interactive and on-demand computing rather than batch-style computation. In addition, Jetstream 2 makes high-performance computing and software more accessible to researchers, especially those from smaller academic communities with limited access to resources and less experience using supercomputing systems.

The new Jetstream 2 resources will be maintained by UH Information Technology Services Cyberinfrastructure and will empower research in the �鶹��ý Data Science Institute and across all 10 UH campuses.

“Jetstream 2 empowers our University of �鶹��ý community of researchers, faculty and students with access to the highest tiers of NSF’s national computing ecosystem, effectively democratizing access to these highly specialized, high-performance computing resources,” said UH Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer Garret Yoshimi. “We look forward to leveraging the access afforded by Jetstream 2 to ensure our community can effectively collaborate with their peers across the nation, not simply from an on-ramp to the national computing ecosystem, but directly accessing the core infrastructure as if it were ‘local’ to our community.”

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Governor and President David Lassner signed an agreement that leverages the 2-year-old UH Information Technology Center to reduce risks associated with some of the state’s IT systems while saving taxpayer dollars.

Under the agreement between the Office of Enterprise Technology Services, led by state Chief Information Officer Todd Nacapuy and the university’s , led by �鶹��ýVice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer Garret T. Yoshimi, some IT systems currently housed at that state’s primary data center in the downtown Kalanimoku Building will immediately begin migrating to the UH IT Center to the extent possible to provide resilient backup. The agreement outlines a rate structure under which ETS will remunerate the university for its costs each year, including a “true up” based on actual expenses from the previous year.

“I applaud our executive branch and University of �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� teams for working together on this mutually beneficial and cost-effective solution to meet our state’s immediate data center needs,” said Ige.

Supporting the state

Lassner noted that “The state has had IT facilities challenges for years, so when we were requesting state funding for the new IT Center we made clear our willingness to support other state programs as well. We are pleased to now welcome these state systems into vacant space in our LEED Gold data center facility.”

“By leveraging the UH data center, we are able to address some of our most critical systems while reducing duplicative spending, including costs associated with designing, building, maintaining, powering and staffing an entirely new data center,” said the state’s Chief Information Officer Todd Nacapuy. “This agreement represents an annual cost avoidance that’s easily in the millions.”

The Kalanimoku data center has long been known as an aging facility with many components requiring refurbishment and upgrades. Furthermore, the building is less than ideal due to its location close to shore, the lack of power redundancy and distribution and insufficient cooling and antiquated fire suppression.

Physical security, access and reliability were key factors in identifying the UH IT Center as a viable site. The UH facility already maintains a secure environment with protocols in place for authorized personnel that are provided access and the UH IT Center’s data center is designed to operate through an extended power outage without any problems. In addition, the university agrees to put in place processes and procedures necessary for some state departments’ compliance obligations, such as those required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Justice Information Services and personally identifiable information standards.

View photos on the .

More on the UH IT Center

• VIDEO: – February 19, 2016
• – April 24, 2014

The on the has been awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification by the . The 74,000 square-foot, six-story, state-of-the-art facility hosts all of the UH enterprise information and communication technology systems serving all 10 UH campuses throughout the state of �鶹��ý�鶹��ý

The architects at , the UH System and collaborated on the building design with a firm commitment to environmental stewardship from the inception. The ITC includes an 8,000 square-foot Tier II Data Center that required specialized design strategies to optimize energy consumption and efficiency in support of the LEED Gold certification.

“The university’s new executive policy on sustainability commits UH to strive for a minimum of LEED Gold certification for all new buildings,” said UH President “I congratulate and thank the ITC team for setting a successful example with this especially complex project. The contributions to reducing energy consumption will continue to grow as we migrate servers from less energy efficient locations in closets and under desks to one of the most energy-efficient data centers in �鶹��ý.”

“Our commitment to achieve measureable and sustainable outcomes has been critical in the LEED certification process,” said UH Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer . “We will continue our long-term efforts to manage our impact on the environment and to support a highly functional workspace for our staff.”

The ITC design achieves a 22 percent reduction in energy consumption as compared to the baseline building specifications provided by the . A broad range of features and strategies positively impact the environment and support a highly functional and staff-friendly workspace.

• Daytime heat accumulation reduced using a combination of shading systems to control direct sunlight and reflective paved surfaces and roofing materials.
• Light trespass and spill minimized from the building interior and exterior to maintain appropriate illumination for safety and security.
• Active chilled beams provide thermal comfort while using 100 percent outside air to reduce the health impact of re-circulated contaminants common with traditional HVAC systems.
• Domestic water usage reduced by 30 percent with low-flow water fixtures combined with drought-tolerant native landscaping.
• Construction waste diversion of over 90 percent achieved by implementing a program to separate, recycle, store and reuse the construction and demolition waste.
• Occupancy sensors save electricity by automatically turning off lights when no one is in a work area.

More recognition

The Information Technology Center also received the 2014 GCA Build �鶹��ý Grand Award, AMX 2014 People’s Choice Innovation Award, 2015 NAIOP Kukulu Hale Award and the 2015 American Council of Engineering Companies of �鶹��ý Engineering Excellence Honor Award for its innovative design and construction.

For further information about sustainable architecture, go to the . Go to the for more about the building.

The Information Technology Center

December 16, 2013

Flickr:

University of �鶹��ý President David Lassner has made a $76,000 gift to support the University of �鶹��ý System . The state-of-the-art �鶹��ýInformation Technology Center opened for business in February 2014 and houses enterprise information and communications technology systems and services that support modern teaching, administration and research for all 10 UH campuses statewide.

“We are most grateful to David for leading by example with this generous gift to help the Information Technology Center fulfill its mission and support necessary maintenance, refurbishment and equipment,” said Randy Moore, chair. “The 21st century facility supports the delivery of the 21st century education so critical to our students and faculty and provides critical safeguards our state needs during disaster.”

Building highlights

• Disaster-hardened, 8,000-square-foot data center for enterprise servers, storage and communications, designed to withstand category 3 hurricanes
• High-quality space for faculty to develop digital content
• Meeting and training rooms with teleconferencing capabilities
• An emergency situation room to support UH disaster response
• Pursuing LEED Gold certification—the Information Technology Center uses energy efficient chilled beams for cooling in office areas and incorporates other “green” features

”When I arrived in �鶹��ý with a one-year half-time contract I never imagined that I’d be here 38 years later.” Lassner commented. “But UH has given me an incredible opportunity to grow both personally and professionally, so it’s a real treat to now be in a position to give back to help strengthen this institution that is so important to the future of everyone in �鶹��ý.”

Lassner was appointed University of �鶹��ý president effective July 1, 2014. Before that appointment he served as interim president from September 1, 2013. He has worked at the university since 1977 and was most recently its vice president for information technology and chief information officer.

A UH alumnus, Lassner earned an AB in economics summa cum laude and MS in computer science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a PhD in communication and information sciences from the University of �鶹��ý.

“David has been the epitome of loyalty to his alma mater,” said Donna Vuchinich, president and CEO. “His history of supporting UH goes back decades. He is a lifetime member of the UH Alumni Association and has been a regular donor to UH since 1981. With this generous new gift, David is building on his legacy by providing essential funding to help the Information Technology Center sustain its future.”

Lassner is also a member of the university’s cooperating graduate faculty and has taught both online and in-person in computer science, communications, business and education.

For more about Lassner, read the .

The exceptional construction processes and technology systems integrated into the University of �鶹��ý Information Technology Center on the UH Mānoa campus continue to receive recognition—most recently when the center was chosen as a finalist in several innovation award categories among entrants from seven countries in the June 16–18 in Las Vegas. The Information Technology Center received the first ever Automated Memory eXtra (AMX) People’s Choice Innovation award as the “best example of the most relevant automation and control solution” for creating a solution for integrated control of multiple devices into a single automated touch screen interface. UBTech is an annual national summit focusing on advancements of technology and leadership in higher education.

The audio-visual team, led by Video Operations Manager Royd Liu, worked in conjunction with the locally owned to design and install state-of-the-art AMX hardware and software equipment into the center allowing Information Technology Services to maximize sustainability and effectively expand information technology support statewide throughout the 10-campus University of �鶹��ý System.

It was this work that led attendees at UBTech 2014 to single out the Information Technology Center with their votes to win the People’s Choice award. The design of the audio visual system in the building helps to improve campus experience by enhancing the way faculty teach and create digital content for students to learn, reducing support costs, facilitating collaboration and increasing energy efficiency.

“It’s important and appropriate for a state of the art IT building to have state of the art AV,” said Steve Smith, interim vice president for information technology and chief information officer for UH. “Not just high tech for high tech’s sake but appropriate technology to help us work together better. That is what we have and we are honored and happy to have this recognition.”

Read the for more about the Information Technology Center.

More on the Information Technology Center

• More recognition:
• �鶹��ýNews video:

The general contractor for the , , was recently awarded the highest recognition in the state by the (GCA) for their work on the UH Information Technology Center project. The GCA event showcases the best construction projects in �鶹��ý.

There were 20 categories of awards at the 11th anniversary GCA showcase event held on April 19. dck pacific’s work on the UH Information Technology Center project won first place in the category of Excellence in Building Construction more than $40 million. It was then selected for the Grand Award, which is chosen from all entries submitted and is considered the “best of the best” as voted by the judges. Projects are judged on eight criteria including meeting the challenges of a difficult job, excellence in project management, innovation in construction techniques, state of the art advancement, sensitivity to environment and surroundings, excellence in client service, contractor’s contribution to the community, and safety.

“Receiving the Grand Award by our industry peers for the UH Information Technology Center building is the utmost honor for dck pacific, especially this year as we celebrate our 75 years of doing business in �鶹��ý,” said Eric G. Tessem, senior vice president and general manager of dck pacific. “This was a complex and challenging project, which included the installation of numerous ‘first of its kind’ systems for the university. The recognition of our project team’s efforts in receiving this award is one that is well deserved. dck pacific is proud to have been a part of this award-winning building that will be the hub of the university’s future.”

The six-story, 74,000 square-foot UH ITC includes UH’s first modern, secure, energy-efficient data center to house the university’s enterprise information and communications technology systems. The state-of-the-art facilities in the center allow faculty to develop and produce engaging digital media content for education and research and support advanced teleconferencing and collaboration environments for members of the university community to work with colleagues and peers around the world. The UH Information Technology Center also brings together the UH systemwide Information Technology Services staff from seven different locations around campus. The building design incorporates many “green” features that the university hopes will lead to a LEED Silver certification; the LEED program encourages sustainability in the construction of buildings and efficiency in use of utilities.

“We are incredibly proud of dck pacific and the entire team responsible for the new UH Information Technology Center,” said UH Interim President David Lassner, who served as Vice President for information technology and chief information officer during construction. “This building has been needed for years and is already changing the way we support the use of data, communications and information technology across the entire UH System.”

General contractors from the four major islands of �鶹��ý formed the GCA in 1932; it is a chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America, which was established in 1918. dck pacific, a dck worldwide company headquartered in Pittsburgh PA, has been a member of the GCA of �鶹��ý since 1941.

More on the Information Technology Center

• VIDEO:
• UH News:
• Flickr:

Information Technology Services will host a public open house in the new UH (ITC) on the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa campus on Tuesday, March 11, 2–4 p.m.

UH faculty, staff, and students are highly encouraged to tour the IT facilities that are housed on the first floor—Digital Media Center, help desk, project rooms, training room and the video conference rooms. Attendees will also be able to view the data center, the information technology operations center and emergency situation room that are on the second and third floors.

The six-story, 74,000 square foot ITC incorporates many green features and is pursuing LEED Silver certification. The LEED program encourages sustainability in the construction of buildings and efficiency in use of utilities.

The ITC brings together information technology services staff that were formerly working in eight different UH Mānoa campus locations and provides collaborative work spaces where staff can support the systemwide information technology needs of the university.

Call (808) 956-9393 with any questions concerning the March 11 open house.

The state-of-the-art, six-story, 74,000-square-foot University of �鶹��ý Information Technology Center was dedicated December 2013.

The for the recent UH Data Breach Lawsuit has been posted online.

Questions about the settlement should be directed to the contact information listed on the page.

“The university is pleased that it was able to settle this case by providing two years of credit monitoring and credit restoration services to those class members who request them,” said Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer David Lassner. “The university is also working diligently to significantly reduce the chance of future data breaches.”

A new six-story, 74,000-square-foot on the Mānoa campus will be the first facility designed and constructed anywhere in the to properly house the university’s enterprise information and communications technology systems.

Governor Neil Abercrombie, UH President M.R.C. Greenwood and UH Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer David Lassner spoke at a ceremony held Friday at UH Mānoa to celebrate the groundbreaking for the center.

“This center will provide the foundation for our mission-focused efforts and move us a giant step forward in our quest to be a model 21st-century university with excellent facilities,” said Greenwood.

Building features

Located immediately east of Bilger Addition, the Information Technology Center will provide a centralized facility for the university’s systemwide division. It will house a state-of-the-art and energy-efficient data center featuring an 8,000-square-foot machine room for enterprise servers, storage and communications.

It will also be the site for the university’s first emergency situation room, which will provide space with available power and communications suitable for UH administrators and emergency personnel to manage disasters and other crisis situations.

“The University of �鶹��ý learned many lessons from the 2004 flood that caused extensive damage to the Mānoa campus and threatened our main data center, which provides Internet access for all UH campuses statewide and our state government offices, including �鶹��ý State Civil Defense. It’s those lessons and our goal to provide a quality learning and research environment for our students, faculty and staff that have inspired this building,” said Greenwood.

The center will also include meeting and training rooms, the university’s information technology Help Desk, modern workspace for ITS staff, facilities for faculty to develop and produce engaging digital media content for education and research and advanced teleconferencing and collaboration environments for members of the UH community to work with colleagues and peers around the world.

Green design

The building will be designed to support LEED certification, which is considered rare for a building with a data center. Sustainable green design strategies will include energy-efficient building orientation, daylighting strategies including horizontal light shelves, displacement ventilation to reduce energy consumption, a water catchment system, vegetated roofs and lanais to mitigate storm drainage, healthy indoor air quality, systems commissioning, conservations of resources and recycling.

“By consolidating our IT systems, which are currently scattered throughout various buildings on campus, into one facility specifically designed to support these systems in an efficient manner, we will achieve substantial gains in energy efficiency for IT,” said Lassner. “We’ve imagined a building like this for our university for many years and we’re excited to see it becoming a reality.”

Building partners on the project include as project architect, dck pacific construction as general contractor and as construction manager.

and watch the for construction updates.