HPC Team Featured for Bringing Supercomputing to the Classroom
At Wake Forest, Information Systems is guided by a clear mission. We empower the University community in the use of information and digital technologies that support intellectual exploration, informed institutional decisions, and the creation and sharing of knowledge. Our work is rooted in innovation, collaboration, and leadership, and the recent recognition of our High Performance Computing team reflects these values in action.
The Ohio Supercomputer Center has featured the HPC team Sean Anderson, Senior HPC UNIX Systems Administrator; Adam Carlson, Assistant Director of Research Computing; and Cody Stevens, Senior HPC UNIX Systems Administrator have designed a model that places high‑performance tools directly in the hands of students and faculty. Their implementation of Open OnDemand allows classes to use Jupyter, RStudio, MATLAB, and emerging AI environments through custom, web‑based portals that feel as intuitive as logging into Canvas.

The result is a learning experience that removes traditional barriers. Students can work with complex computational tools without first mastering command‑line workflows. Faculty can introduce data science, AI, and other advanced topics with confidence that the technical foundation is already in place. In its first semester, this system supported six courses and nearly 80 students, creating a practical bridge between the liberal arts and high‑performance research computing.

This recognition also highlights the leadership and expertise behind the work. As part of the Ohio Supercomputer Center feature, Senior HPC UNIX Systems Administrator Sean Anderson presented Wake Forest’s implementation of Open OnDemand at the 2025 Global Open OnDemand (GOOD) Conference. His presentation offered a detailed look at how the team built a classroom‑first model that lowers barriers for students while giving faculty a reliable, scalable platform for teaching computational methods.
Watch the presentation: https://vimeo.com/showcase/11728221?video=1088886147
The team’s impact continues to grow. Sean has been invited to represent Wake Forest at the Supercomputing Asia 2026 Conference in Osaka, Japan. He will attend on behalf of Julie Ma, Co‑PI on the grant supporting this work, after she became unable to travel. The grant will cover all travel expenses at no cost to the University. While there, he will serve on a panel, answer technical questions, and share Wake Forest’s use case with an international audience—bringing visibility to the University’s innovative approach to integrating supercomputing into undergraduate education.
This work reflects the broader commitments of Information Systems. We partner with faculty, staff, and students to understand needs, explore ideas, solve problems, and implement solutions that strengthen teaching, learning, research, and administration. We maintain secure and reliable systems, and we collaborate across the University to ensure that technology resources remain accessible and aligned with institutional goals.
The HPC team’s classroom‑first model is one example of how innovation grows from close partnership with the Wake Forest community. It shows what becomes possible when technical expertise and academic purpose move together.
Get involved. Faculty who are interested in integrating high-performance computing into their curriculum can read the full story to learn more orreach out to the HPC team to explore options for future courses.
