Kicking Off in High Gear: ADS & AIS Cohorts Tour HiPerGator AI

Students and faculty from the Master of Science in Applied Data Science (ADS) and Master of Science in AI Systems (AIS) programs came together for their first official social event of 2025: a behind-the-scenes tour of the HiPerGator supercomputing facility. As the inaugural cohorts of both programs, this marked an important milestone — not just as a chance to see cutting-edge computing in action, but also as an opportunity to build community beyond the classroom.

Tours were held across three sessions — on March 31st, April 1st, and April 4th, 2025 — with students and faculty receiving a guided experience through one of the nation’s most powerful academic high-performance computing centers. Participants traveled by shuttle from the UF campus near Malachowsky Hall for Data Science and Information Technology to the UF Data Center.

The highlight for many was the deep dive into the facility’s technology — from a close look at different GPUs, including the impressive A100 server, to insights into the alert tracking systems and innovative cooling mechanisms that keep the center running efficiently. For students just beginning their academic journey in data science and AI systems, the tour sparked excitement and curiosity. One student shared, “It definitely sparked my interest to learn more about GPUs and their applications.” Another noted, “The A100 GPU server looked absolutely stunning… an incredible experience.”

Overall, the HiPerGator tour was more than just an educational outing — it was a memorable first community event for the ADS and AIS programs, bringing together students and faculty in a shared experience that blended learning, connection, and inspiration. With the success of this experience, more events like it are already being planned to continue building community as the programs grow and evolve.