For researchers requiring a secure compute environment for sensitive data, Northwestern IT, in partnership with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), provides access to Nightingale, a high-performance computing (HPC) cluster designed to support regulated data and compliance requirements, including:
- HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) regulated data
- PHI (Protected Health Information)
- CUI (Controlled Unclassified Information), such as controlled-access NIH dbGaP data
Technical specifications and system features are available on the NCSA's Nightingale User Documentation.
Guidelines for onboarding and access to Nightingale, tailored for Northwestern researchers, can be reviewed at NU@Nightingale user documentation.
Available to
Eligibility Requirements
Northwestern researchers with an active NetID who pass a background check through their school or department human resources department are eligible to use this service; external collaborators are not.
Nightingale is a HIPAA-covered entity. This means that to access Nightingale, all users need to complete HIPAA training, regardless of whether their data is HIPAA regulated. Feinberg researchers should complete this Data Security and Privacy Training to meet this requirement. All other Northwestern researchers should complete HIPAA training through myHR Learn to meet this requirement.
The NIST SP 800-171 standard that defines the security compliance of the Nightingale system is designed for the protection of controlled unclassified information (CUI). All Northwestern researchers working with data that is held to this security standard must also complete CUI-level training. This is provided through the Department of Defense .
All devices that researchers use to connect to Nightingale, such as laptops and workstations, must be Northwestern-managed and meet additional security requirements that align to a NIST SP 800-171 baseline. Northwestern researchers cannot access this service through their personal devices.
Cost
Researchers are billed monthly based on their CPU core hour usage and storage allocation from the previous month on the Nightingale system. Northwestern negotiated rates are available upon consultation with Northwestern IT Research Computing and Data Services (RCDS).
How to Request Service
Click the "Request a Consultation" button to the right.
Researchers interested in using Nightingale should set up a consultation with Research Computing and Data Services to discuss the project and assess whether Nightingale is an appropriate fit.
Support
The RCDS team, in partnership with NCSA, will provide support for onboarding, software installation, workflow troubleshooting, data transfers, user access management, and documentation for researchers using Nightingale at no additional cost.
Support for comprehensive workflow design, software development, and code troubleshooting can be provided for a fee.
For general support and questions, see NU@Nightingale support page.