Information Technology

Account Request

Michigan Technological University provides two distinct High-Performance Computing (HPC) clusters for research and education:

Superior: The largest shared HPC infrastructure at Michigan Tech. Superior supports computational arts, science, and engineering research projects. It is named after Lake Superior, the largest freshwater body by surface area. [1]

Portage: A smaller version of Superior. Portage is used for coursework, senior design projects, and preliminary research involving public or non-sponsored data. It is named after the Portage Canal, or the waterway that cuts across the Keweenaw Peninsula.

Principal Investigator (PI) Requirements Eligibility

  • The PI must be a Michigan Tech faculty member or an MTRI research scientist.
  • Consultation: An in-person meeting may be required to evaluate project scope and infrastructure feasibility.
  • Review Timeline: Approvals can take up to two weeks, depending on user population and requested resources.
  • Notification: PIs receive an automated notice once a proposal is reviewed and approved. [1, 2]

Managing Research Team Members

If your group already has an active proposal, do not submit a new one to add members. Instead, provide the following details for any new user: [1]

  • Full name
  • Michigan Tech ISO username
  • Academic status (e.g., undergraduate, graduate, post-doc, visiting scholar)
  • External Collaborators: Include a URL to verify their identity if they are not affiliated with Michigan Tech.

Departures: Notify administration immediately when a member leaves to prevent unauthorized account usage. [1, 2]

How to Apply

To request cluster access, download the necessary proposal templates and submit your materials to the administration team.

  1.  Download Templates (Superior Only) from one of the following resources:
    1. LaTeX and MS Word Templates
    2. GitHub Repository
  2. Submit Your Proposal: Send your completed proposal or team updates directly to hpc-accounts-l@mtu.edu. For New Portage Requests, include:
    1. Project title (or course number)
    2. Brief abstract
    3. Initial user list with ISO usernames and statuses.