Foundations for Research Computing, the training program for the Shared Research Computing Policy Advisory Committee (SRCPAC), is a collaboration between Columbia Libraries, CUIT, and the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research. Our goal is to connect researchers, future researchers, and those who support them across Columbia University with informal opportunities to build research computing skills and learn how to use Columbia’s research computing ecosystem, including its HPC clusters and licensed software.
This past year, Foundations welcomed 631 attendees across 48 workshops, including customized trainings for research labs, schools, and centers. More than one in four participants returned for a second or third session, reflecting a continuing interest in building research computing skills in the Columbia community.
They explored a wide range of research computing topics throughout the year:
- 240 learned about Columbia’s HPC resources in a newly revamped introductory series, along with a session on NSF’s free ACCESS/NAIRR HPC program
- 187 attended coding workshops in Python, R, and SQL
- 116 explored MATLAB, Overleaf, Tropy, and other research software
- 88 built foundational computational and algorithmic literacy skills
These workshops would not have been possible without the people who planned, organized, and led them throughout the year. Thank you to Syed Bukhari (CUIT), Ben Chiewphasa (CUL), Sam Cho (CUIT), Madiha Choksi (CUL), Jessica Eaton (CUIT), Waqas Hanif (CUIT), Esther Jackson (CUL), Elizabeth Kwon (CUIT), Halyna Levatic (CUIT), Jeremiah Mercurio (CUL), Axinia Radeva (CUIT), Max Shortte (CUIT), Al Tucker (CUIT), and Dan Woulfin (CUL) for their time and commitment. And thank you also to Alexander Urban-Artrith, Sharon Sputz, and members of SRCPAC for their support.
We’re already planning workshops for the Fall 2026 semester. Sign up now!
Join the Foundations mailing list to hear about upcoming events, or email rcfoundations@columbia.edu to request a workshop for your lab, class, or research group.