“Computer processing is involved in every aspect of knowledge-generating activity, including data access, data integration, data provenance, as well as visualization, modeling, and theorizing.”
-Prof. Junhyong Kim, Penn Program in Single Cell Biology

Computing plays a growing role in research across all the disciplines in the School of Arts and Sciences, from electronic texts, to genomic analysis, to economic modeling and beyond. Research computation can deal with vast amounts of data on a previously unimaginable scale and can quickly perform iterations or parallel operations that would previously have taken weeks. SAS Computing can help guide researchers to choose and use the research tools that are best suited to their particular needs.

Here's an introduction to the research services and resources that are available from SAS Computing. For help choosing technology that is appropriate for your research, please consult your local support providers.

Data management plans	Your research project data has a future... plan for it now!
Storage and backup	Information worth researching is worth storing securely.
Large storage projects (“big data”)	When the space required for your research data exceeds the capacity of publicly accessible resources, we can help.
High performance computing	We can provide a computing system that can crunch very large amounts of data and quickly handle millions of iterations or massively parallel calculations.
Sensitive data	No one likes a data breach. We can help you stay out of the headlines if your research involves sensitive data.
Encryption technology	Encrypting your data can keep it secure. Sometimes encryption is required for using datasets provided by someone else.
Data visualization	Effective visual representation provides alternative methods for analyzing and communicating complex abstract information.
Collaboration and sharing	You may want to share your data with colleagues or the public.
Permanent public data repository	Does your research need a permanent home and address? One that people will still be able to find years from now?
Custom applications or software development	If you need a programmer to create special software for your research, here are some things to consider before you begin.

Links for learning how to use information technology and research tools

Training resources	The University provides resources for learning how to use research tools.
Resources to learn programming	Here are resources for researchers who want program in Python (iPython, Jupyter), Matlab, PHP, MySQl, Stata, etc.
Help building a web site	We offer some resources for creating and maintaining a web presence.

Other useful links for researchers

Office of the Vice Provost for Research	University Services for Researchers
Research at Penn	More from the Office of the Vice Provost for Research
SAS Faculty Research Support	SAS-funded opportunities
SAS Faculty and Research	Departments, research centers and programs, faculty index
Penn's Research Portal	A wide variety of resources for researchers
Penn VIVO	Research-focused discovery for collaboration among scientists across all disciplines

 

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Download a one-page handout with the above information in PDF format.