As outlined in Georgia Tech's Strategic Plan, our Institute vision is to define the technological research university of the 21st century. Leadership in HPC provides faculty and researchers vital tools to accomplish these goals.  By simplifying access to and usability of large scale scientific computing resources, the Partnership for an Advanced Computing Environment will help Georgia Tech be known as the "Innovation Institute." PACE is an important test bed for research, and as such, it helps our faculty and students design, test and implement solutions to the grand challenges of our time.