Leading
With Purpose

Discover how CASC's vision, values, and rich history guide our collaborative efforts to advance scientific research.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA)
Our MissionLeadershipHistory + ImpactGovernance

Our
Mission

Advocate for public and private investment in research computing and data services.

Advise federal agencies on relevant funding programs.

Engage in policy discussions on research computing and data services.

Foster a community of leaders in this field.

Provide a forum for sharing strategic ideas and best practices.

Our Vision

CASC envisions a robust, sustainable ecosystem supporting academic research computing and data services, enabled by a vibrant community of professionals.

 

 

CASC Executive Committee

Chair

Rich Knepper

Director of the Cornell Center for Advanced Computing, Cornell University
cascchair@casc.org
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Vice Chair

Jane Combs

Associate Director, Research Platforms and Insights
vicechair@casc.org
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Director of Membership, Elections & Outreach

Barr Von Oehsen

Director, Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center
cascsecretary@casc.org
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Past Chair

Jim Wilgenbusch

Director of Research Computing University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
cascpastchair@casc.org
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Treasurer

Preston Smith

Executive Director, Purdue University Rosen Center for Advanced Computing
casctreasurer@casc.org
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Executive Director

Kathryn Kelley

kelley@casc.org
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Operations Manager

Carolyn Casler

casler@casc.org
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Communications Committee

Melyssa Fratkin

Chair
Texas Advanced Computing Center

Andrew Bell

University of Virginia

Kristin Lepping

Rutgers University

Marisa Brazil

Arizona State University

Paul Redfern

Cornell University

John Strawn

OH-TECH

Brian Connelly

University of Pittsburgh

Stephanie Suber

Renaissance Computing Institute

Positions Committee

Erik Deumens

Chair
University of Florida (’23-’24)

Jim Wilgenbusch

University of Minnesota & CASC Chair

Eric Coulter

Georgia Tech (’24-’25)

Rich Knepper

Cornell University & CASC Vice Chair

Preston Smith

Purdue University

Alana Romanella

University of Colorado – Boulder (’24-’25)

Tabitha Samuel

University of Tennessee (’23-’24)

Barr von Oehsen

Rutgers University & CASC Director of Membership, Elections and Outreach

Carolyn Ellis

Arizona State University (’25)

Jane Combs

University of Cincinnati

Nominations Committee

Program Committee

Jane Combs

Chair
University of Cincinnati

Alex Pacheco

New Jersey Institute of Technology

Jeremy Frumkin

University of Arizona

Tajendra Vir Singh

UCLA

Doug Jennewein

Arizona State University

Fang (Cherry) Liu

Georgia Tech University

Benjamin Lynch

University of Minnesota

Nan McKenna

Stanford University

History + Impact

Explore how our storied past and impactful initiatives have shaped the industry, fostering progress and inspiring change across communities.

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History + Impact

Explore how our storied past and impactful initiatives have shaped the industry, fostering progress and inspiring change across communities.

1940s-1970s
  • ENIAC computer built in 1946 for $500,000
  • NSF begins investing in academic supercomputing centers and Department of Defense funds DARPAnet, the precursor to the Internet in the 1960s
1980-1989
  • Founding of CASC: CASC was established to advocate for the importance of high-performance computing (HPC) in academia and to promote the use of computational science in education and research.
  • The national supercomputer centers program is launched by NSF in 1985 and NSFnet is developed to connect supercomputer centers and then regional networks
1990-1999
  • Early Advocacy: CASC begins advocating for federal funding and support for HPC infrastructure in academic institutions.
  • Membership Growth: The organization expands from 12 to more than 30 institutions as academic institutions recognize the value of HPC resources.
  • National Developments:
    • Birth of the World Wide Web in 1991; NSFnet becomes the first national backbone network at 45 Mbps
    • First demonstration of telemicroscopy, one of the earliest implementations of cyberinfrastructure
    • Release of Mosaic, the first browser and graphical user interface for the Web (1993)
    • NSF funds the Partnership for Advanced Computational
    • Infrastructure (PACI) program, leading the way to groundbreaking grid projects and cyberinfrastructure
2000-2009
  • Expansion of Mission: CASC expands its mission to include broader aspects of computational science, including education and workforce development.
  • Key Initiatives: Introduction of various programs aimed at enhancing computational education and outreach.
  • Partnerships and Collaborations: CASC forms stronger partnerships with government agencies, industry, and other academic consortia.
  • National Developments: 
    • NIH establishes the first scalable national computing infrastructure
    • NSF establishes the TeraGrid, a multi-institutional distributed terascale facilit2007: DOE and NSF fund the deployment of Petaflop supercomputers 
    • The era of “Big Data” begins with expansion of data storage, processing power, and network speeds.
2010-2019
  • Technological Advancements: CASC members contribute to significant advancements in HPC technologies and applications.
  • Educational Programs: Expansion of educational programs, including workshops, training, and curriculum development in computational science.
  • Policy Influence: CASC increases its influence in shaping national policies related to computational science and HPC.
  • National Developments:
    • NSF XSEDE program begins in July 2011, providing scientists and researchers with access to advanced digital resources, including supercomputers, data storage, and visualization tools, to support computational research across a wide range of disciplines.
    • High-performance computing becoming pervasive not only in science, but society, becoming ubiquitous in research, industry, and economic development applications.
    • Research computing resources are increasingly required at both small and large research universities to maintain the nation’s prominence in science and technology advances.
2020-Present
  • 35th Anniversary: CASC marks 35 years of contributions and service to the academic and scientific computing community 
  • Adapting to New Challenges: CASC addresses the growing importance of AI and data science within the research computing and data (RCD) community.
  • Global Collaboration: Increased sharing of data and computational resources across borders, including initiatives like the COVID-19 High-Performance Computing Consortium, provided researchers worldwide with access to powerful computing resources.
  • National Developments:
    • Quantum Supremacy: Demonstrations of quantum supremacy, where quantum computers perform certain calculations faster than classical computers, marked significant progress.
    • Exascale Computing: Progress toward exascale computing, capable of performing a quintillion calculations per second with the development of systems like the U.S. Department of Energy’s Exascale Computing Project
    • NSF ACCESS program officially began in September 2022 as a successor to the XSEDE program, continuing the mission of providing the U.S. research community with access to advanced computational and data resources.
    • HPC for Climate Research: Increased utilization of HPC for climate modeling and simulation, aiding in understanding and predicting climate change impacts.

Governance

The CASC Executive Committee and member committees are actively advancing our strategic plan. Here are some key activities:

Promoting Team Science

CASC facilitates collaborations among diverse groups. At the NSF Research Infrastructure Workshop, we presented on “Different Models of Data Governance,” highlighted CASC priorities, and led sessions on advancing understanding in regulated research.

Advancing Computational Research

CASC promotes groundbreaking research and technological advancements. This brochure showcases some of these exciting discoveries.

See our brochures to learn about the exciting discoveries CASC members have supported

Engaging Policymakers

In 2024 CASC Executive Director Kathryn Kelley presented at a Congressional briefing on the need for expanded U.S. investments in supercomputing and AI, highlighting the need for a prepared workforce and government partnership with academic institutions.

Supporting Emerging Leaders

CASC nurtures future computational research and data leaders through grants, scholarships, and mentorship, with a focus on women and underrepresented groups in STEM.

Sharing Best Practices

CASC facilitates knowledge-sharing sessions at member meetings and conferences like PEARC and SC, helping institutions enhance their capabilities.

Providing Thought Leadership

CASC participates in international conferences and discussions, shaping the future of computational research. For instance, we presented the “ABCs of Research Computing” at the EDUCAUSE conference.

Impacting Policy

Inspired by the “Missing Millions” report, our Positions Committee and workgroup on Research Ecosystem Inclusivity are working to foster a more inclusive research computing community. Our Research Data Management workgroup outlines navigation paths for research computing centers, and we regularly invite thought leaders to share insights at our biannual meetings.

Positions Papers

See our brochures to learn about the exciting discoveries CASC members have supported

  • Promoting Team Science

  • Advancing Computational Research

  • Engaging Policymakers

  • Supporting Emerging Leaders

  • Sharing Best Practices

  • Providing Thought Leadership

  • Impacting Policy

2023 Spring Meeting
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Press & Media

Download our comprehensive press kit for the latest releases, high-resolution images, and essential information to help you cover our story and initiatives.

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Rich Knepper

Director of the Cornell Center for Advanced Computing, Cornell University

Rich Knepper is the Vice Chair of the Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation (CASC) and the Director of the Cornell Center for Advanced Computing (CAC) at Cornell University. In his leadership role, Rich spearheads the strategic planning and operations of the CAC, ensuring that the center effectively meets the evolving needs of Cornell researchers and the broader scientific community. His extensive experience includes leading the Campus Bridging and Research Infrastructure team at Indiana University, where he significantly advanced research capabilities. Rich’s research interests encompass the establishment and governance of cyberinfrastructure organizations, high-performance and cloud computing, application containerization, and the ethnography of virtual organizations. His passion for innovation and commitment to advancing research technology positions him as a key leader in the field, driving transformative initiatives that empower researchers and enhance collaboration across disciplines.

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Jane Combs

Associate Director, Research Platforms and Insights

Jane Combs is director of the University of Cincinnati (UC) Advanced Research Computing Center, Research Technologies, Office of Research. She provides strategic planning, services, support and communication for UC’s centralized research computing and data services, including data transfer, data compute/analysis and data storage. She leads the development of the University of Cincinnati’s first high performance computing (HPC) center and is responsible for funding, budgeting, service development and internal/external partnership development. She communicates and facilitates access to the capabilities and services of local, regional and national cyberinfrastructure tools and services and has secured over $1.6M in external and institutional funding to develop advanced CI infrastructure at UC, including UC’s Advanced Research Computing Center, Science DMZ, CI and Data Science workshops/training.

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Barr Von Oehsen

Director, Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center

Barr von Oehsen is the Director of Membership, Elections, and Outreach at the Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation (CASC) and the Director of the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC), a position he assumed in May 2023. In addition to his leadership role at PSC, Barr serves as research faculty in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and as the Vice Chancellor for Research Computing at the University of Pittsburgh. In this capacity, he oversees research initiatives powered by Pitt’s computing resources, strategically managing complex projects across the university. Barr holds dual appointments as research faculty in both the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Swanson School of Engineering and the Department of Biomedical Informatics in the School of Medicine. Previously, he served as the Associate Vice President of the Office of Advanced Research Computing (OARC) at Rutgers University, where he played a key role in advancing research computing initiatives.

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Jim Wilgenbusch

Director of Research Computing University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

James (Jim) Wilgenbusch is the Director of Research Computing in the Research & Innovation Office at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Jim is responsible for the strategic direction and leadership of the four major computational research areas under the Office of the Vice President for Research: the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute (MSI), U-Spatial, the International Institute for Biosensing (IIB), and the Data Science Initiative (DSI). In this role he leads University-wide initiatives, partners with collegiate senior administrators and works with faculty and administrators to shape research computing at the University of Minnesota, ensures the excellence of existing activities, and facilitates the implementation of new programs. Jim is also involved at a national level in the promotion and development of research cyberinfrastructure and plays a variety of roles in organizations such as the Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation (CASC), Campus Research Computing Consortium (CARCC), and the National Science Foundation’s Big Data Regional Innovation Hubs.

Jim maintains research activities in the study and implementation of models, methods and software used in phylogenetic inference and for over 15 years has been an invited faculty member at workshops and seminars on this same topic. Prior to coming to the University of Minnesota, Jim was a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Scientific Computing and the founding director of Florida State University’s Research Computing Center. While at FSU Jim co-founded the Sunshine State Education and Research Computing Alliance (SSERCA) to bring together Florida’s geographically distributed academic organizations and high-end compute and data storage resources in order to better support statewide research and create regional synergies.

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Preston Smith

Executive Director, Purdue University Rosen Center for Advanced Computing

Since 2019, Preston Smith has served as executive director of Purdue’s Rosen Center for Advanced Computing (RCAC). Preston has worked in a variety of academic computing roles in 25 years at Purdue, starting his career in the Libraries, then becoming a UNIX system administrator in the Department of Physics right at the advent of Beowulf clusters and “the Grid”. Preston joined RCAC as a systems engineer for grid and distributed computing projects, where he led the systems-facing activities for Purdue’s systems on the NSF TeraGrid and XSEDE infrastructures, as well functioning as the “Chief Condor Evangelist” who managed one of the world’s largest distributed computing environments, the Purdue Condor pool.

After two years managing the R&D team for the Rosen Center, Preston moved from the systems-facing side of the business to lead the researcher-facing operation of Purdue’s community cluster systems. In this role, Preston directed the engagement, support, and outreach to researchers at the university who require high-performance computation or large-scale data storage. Under his leadership, the Rosen Center rolled out a number of initiatives to empower researchers with tools to control their own computing resources, and grew the community cluster program to increasingly greater scale and impact.

Today, Preston’s academic interest include the support of controlled research, developing the workforce in research computing and data, and studying ROI in research computing.

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Kathryn Kelley

Kathryn Kelley is the Executive Director of the Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation (CASC), a role she has held since July 2022. In this capacity, she works closely with the CASC Executive Committee and its members to advance the organization’s vision and mission. With over 25 years of expertise in program leadership and strategic communications, Kathryn has held several significant positions, including Executive Director of the Ohio Manufacturing Institute and Chief Advancement Officer at The Ohio State University College of Nursing. She also served as Senior Director of Public Relations, Outreach, Marketing, and Communications at the Ohio Technology Consortium, which includes the Ohio Supercomputer Center and OARnet.

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Carolyn Casler

Carolyn Casler joined CASC in January 2023 as operations manager. Carolyn has extensive experience in education, from teaching early elementary to writing online courses for Saint Leo University. Carolyn’s leadership skills include program management, creation and presentation of professional development, and organization of large scale conferences and events for educators. Prior to CASC, she served as program supervisor for the Easterseals Early Steps Program, as well as professional development and inclusion manager for the Early Learning Coalition of Pasco and Hernando Counties.

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