The Social Science Computing Core (SSCC) is a suite of research computing services provided by College of Letters & Science Information Technology Services (L&S ITS). It is designed to meet the unique needs of social science researchers, but anyone with similar needs is welcome.
The SSCC provides a complete research computing environment plus the expert help you need to use it. This includes:
- Easy-to-use Windows servers with more power than a laptop or desktop and the most popular statistical software installed and ready for use.
- Powerful interactive Linux servers.
- A 5,000+ core Slurm cluster for large computing jobs, including GPUs for machine learning.
- A restricted data environment for working with HIPAA or other sensitive data. It is remotely accessible and contains Windows servers, interactive Linux servers, and a small Slurm cluster with GPUs.
- Statistical consultants/research computing facilitators who can assist you in using the servers as well as helping with data and analysis challenges.
- Training on statistical software and applied statistics topics, and an extensive statistical computing Knowledge Base.
Any researcher at UW-Madison may use SSCC services by purchasing an individual or group membership. If you are affiliated with a group that has an SSCC membership (see the list at the bottom of this page), get started by requesting an SSCC account. Otherwise, email the SSCC Help Desk to learn more about SSCC’s services and discuss whether becoming an SSCC member makes sense for you–we’d love to help you with your research.
Graduate students in the L&S Social Science Division are eligible for limited SSCC accounts with access to the Windows servers and statistical consulting at no cost. If that describes you, get started by requesting an SSCC account.
Instructors in the L&S Social Science Division may request limited SSCC accounts for the students in their classes at no cost–just email the SSCC Help Desk. That way they can use our Windows servers if they have trouble installing statistical software on their laptop and get help from the SSCC’s statistical consultants. You can also arrange to teach in our computer classroom.
The following organizations have group memberships in the SSCC:
- Center for Demography and Ecology
- Center for Demography of Health and Aging
- Department of Economics
- Department of Sociology
- High Road Strategy Center
- Institute on Aging
- Institute for Research on Poverty
- School of Education
- School of Human Ecology
- School of Medicine and Public Health
- University of Wisconsin Survey Center
- Wisconsin School of Business