Brian Atkinson, a junior computer science major at Coastal Carolina University, has been selected as one of approximately 90 students nationwide to participate in the 2011-2012 Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Cyberinfrastructure Student Engagement Program.

Atkinson, a Myrtle Beach native, and other selected candidates will attend an orientation at Clemson University from Feb. 21 to Feb. 23, and will participate in bi-monthly webinars throughout the entire year. Students who successfully complete the program will be qualified to attend SC12, a supercomputing conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, and act as “Technical Student Volunteers,” providing aid for booths on the exhibit floor as well as completing other technical tasks as necessary. Atkinson will be learning about cyberinfrastructure (CI)—the technical components used for researching and storing electronic data—and, after completion of the program, will be CCU’s CI student champion/mentor.

EPSCoR, according to its mission statement, was established to support the National Science Foundation’s goal “to strengthen research and education in science and engineering throughout the United States.” For more information about EPSCoR, visit http://www.nsf.gov/ehr/epscor.