Author: Daphne McCanse

Read the report: RCD Nexus Day 2023

A new report is now available detailing the accomplishments of RCD Nexus Day 2023. Funded by a Cyberinfrastructure Center of Excellence Pilot grant from the National Science Foundation, the workshop brought together 95 research computing and data (RCD) professionals from institutions across the U.S. The event took place on July 23, 2023, and was an official co-located event of the PEARC’23 conference in Portland, Oregon. Thirty-three attendees received travel support, which allowed them to attend both RCD Nexus Day and the full PEARC23 conference.

In addition to a combined opening session and an evening networking session, the event included two concurrent workshops. Workshop 1 was related to using the RCD Capabilities Model assessment tools and was led by Patrick Schmitz of Semper Cogito Consulting, while Workshop 2 was on the topic of staff and student onboarding and led by Claire Mizumoto of University of California, San Diego. These workshops are described in detail in the full report.

Minding the Gap: EPSCoR CI Workshop report released

The CaRCC Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Cyberinfrastructure (CI) working group has released a new report, Minding the Gap: Leveraging Cyberinfrastructure to Transform EPSCoR Jurisdictions, based on outcomes from the 2022 EPSCoR CI workshop series. EPSCoR is a National Science Foundation (NSF) program with “a mission to enhance the research competitiveness of targeted jurisdictions by strengthening science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) capacity and capability through a diverse portfolio of investments from talent development to local infrastructure.”  

The CaRCC report includes recommendations for both the NSF and EPSCoR jurisdictions and complements the workshop Working Group’s 2022 assessment-focused report, A Baseline of EPSCoR Research CI Capabilities. 

What does the report recommend? 

Read more below to see a summary of the recommendations. To see the detailed recommendations, read the full report. 

Continue reading “Minding the Gap: EPSCoR CI Workshop report released”

New Capabilities Model Assessment Tool Now Available!

The Campus Research Computing Consortium (CaRCC) is pleased to announce that a new version of the RCD Capabilities Model assessment tool is now available and ready to use. This new web-based version of the assessment tool offers a much better user experience and is backed by a database that provides a more robust platform for data analysis. A new online data exploration and benchmarking portal will also be launched in early 2024.  

Why participate in the Capabilities Model? 

The Capabilities Model allows participating institutions to: 

  • Assess their support for computationally- and data-intensive research.
  • Identify potential areas for improvement. 
  • Understand how the broader community views Research Computing and Data support.   

Contributing institutions help build the Community Dataset, and enrich the resulting picture we have of our community. You will get access to the benchmarking functionality on the new portal that compares your assessment to the community at-large, as well as segments of the community (R1s, R2s, Public or Private institutions, etc.; on the new portal you can define your benchmarking peer groups!). As a contributor, you will also get access to more detailed reporting functionality on the new portal, to dig into the data and create custom visualizations. Although summary data will be publicly available, only contributors will have access to the detailed data and custom visualization feature. 

How to get started

Whether you are from one of the 56 institutions that have submitted past assessments, or if you are an organization interested in submitting for the first time, use our Quick Start Guide to walk you through the process of using the new tool. 

 And please keep reading for details on how to get help if you have questions! 

Continue reading “New Capabilities Model Assessment Tool Now Available!”

Seeking beta-testers for the new RCD Capabilities Model Tool

The Research Computing and Data (RCD) Capabilities Model is rolling out a new web-based version of the assessment tool that offers a much better user experience and is backed by a database that provides a more robust platform for data analysis. We need volunteers to beta test the new tool. 

Whether you are one of the over 180 institutions who requested a past assessment, or if you are new to the process, your feedback and perspective is valuable as we work to continually improve the tool. We will retain all data from the beta testing period, and so (barring any unforeseen problems), you can complete your actual 2023 submission, while also providing us valuable feedback to improve the new tool. 

How do I participate in beta testing?

Check out our Beta Testing guide, and then just  log in to the portal using your institutional credentials (you can also use Google or Microsoft to authenticate). Along the way, please use this Feedback Document to share any issues, challenges, or successes you experience. If you’d like a refresher on the RCD Capabilities Model, see the updated User Guide. 

Not familiar with the RCD Capabilities Model? Keep reading to learn more.  

Continue reading “Seeking beta-testers for the new RCD Capabilities Model Tool”

Q&A about CaRCC’s new membership management tool

In the coming weeks, CaRCC will begin using a new software tool called Wild Apricot to help manage our rapidly growing membership lists, and help us communicate with you more effectively.  Wild Apricot will allow members to have greater personal control over the information they present to and receive from the CaRCC community.

Wild Apricot will not be replacing Google Drive,  Google Groups, or Slack. Although CaRCC membership lists, mailing lists, and event registrations will become centrally initiated and managed using Wild Apricot, the new system will generate and populate a Google Group –  and CaRCC will continue to use Google for document sharing, storage, and email lists as we always have.  

The following Q&A will help answer your questions about what the change means for you.

Continue reading “Q&A about CaRCC’s new membership management tool”

Read the report: 2023 CaRCC Annual Strategy and Planning Retreat

A report is now available that details outcomes from the second annual CaRCC strategy and planning retreat, held June 13-15 in Chicago (Rosemont), IL and online via Zoom. The retreat included members of the CaRCC steering committee, operational groups, People Network chairs, track coordinators and steering committees, and leaders of CaRCC working and interest groups. Thirty-two people attended in person, with another ten attending virtually.

With CaRCC Mission and Values statements informing the discussion, goals of the Annual Retreat included:

  • Revisit what CaRCC is as an organization in light of recent growth, connecting the CaRCC Mission and Values to its activities
  • Recognize current areas of strength and recommend areas for growth or continuity
  • Identify opportunities for new strategic activities or growth
  • Pinpoint activities or areas that need to improve, change, or cease
  • Use each of the above to inform development of a set of recommendations andstrategic action items for the coming year

CaRCC Volunteer Opportunities

CaRCC is seeking volunteers for several new efforts that will have a significant impact on CaRCC and the RCD Community. This is a chance to make a real difference to the future of CaRCC. We need your help! 

Sign up for any of the following opportunities by completing this Volunteer Interest Form. 

  • RCD Awards Program Development
  • Budget Development and Financial Planning
  • Membership and Sponsorship Models Exploratory Group
  • Member Survey
  • Reducing Potential Redundancy and Overlap Across CaRCC

Read more to find detailed descriptions of each volunteer opportunity. 

Continue reading “CaRCC Volunteer Opportunities”

CaRCC activities at PEARC23

It’s almost time for the PEARC23 conference and we’re looking forward to seeing many of you in Portland! Be sure to stop by the Internet2 table during open Exhibit hours, Monday, July 24 and Tuesday, July 25 8am-5pm to pick up a CaRCC sticker and other info. A big thank you to our partner, Internet2 for providing space for CaRCC at their table!

Remember that you, our engaged CaRCC members, are the most powerful communication and outreach tool we have as we strive to be diverse and inclusive. If you meet members of the community at PEARC who aren’t familiar with CaRCC, encourage them to learn more at the CaRCC Town Hall, stop by the table in the Exhibit Hall, or visit CaRCC.org to join the People Network.

CaRCC events at PEARC23 include:

Sunday, July 23

RCD Nexus Day — A full day of collaboration and connection for the RCD Community. This year’s topics include Using the Capabilities Model Assessment Tool and Onboarding RCD Staff and Students. (Pre-registration required.)

RCD Nexus is supported as an NSF-funded Cyberinfrastructure Centers of Excellence (CoE) pilot (award NSF-2100003).

Tuesday, July 24

CaRCC Town Hall, 10:30am-12pm, Room F151 — Come hear about current initiative and help shape future directions! Learn how to get involved and how we are connecting with the broader RCD ecosystem through the People Network.

Workforce Track: Understanding the Research Computing and Data Profession, 3:00-4:30pm, Room D135 — Talks include “Career Phases in Research Computing and Data” and Professionalization of Research Computing and Data: An Expanded Agenda” both by Tim Middelkoop. And Christina Maimone will present on “Compensation of Academic Research Computing and Data Professionals”.

RCD Nexus Day at PEARC23

Registration is now closed for the second annual RCD Nexus Day, a one-day workshop and networking event just for research computing and data (RCD) professionals on Sunday July 23, 8am-7pm preceding the PEARC23 Conference in Portland, OR. It’s an official PEARC co-located event, and there’s no additional cost to attend. Connect with your peers as we explore the topics that matter to you and your RCD career, including:

  • Student and staff workforce development topics and practices 
  • Understanding the RCD Capabilities Model assessment tools, and how best to use them at your institution (details below)

The event will be held at the main conference venue, the Oregon Convention Center. Space is limited and last year the event reached capacity, so don’t wait to register!

Travel support is available for those at U.S. institutions who request it by June 28. Just indicate your need when you register and we’ll send further information. 

See below for a detailed agenda and track descriptions.

Continue reading “RCD Nexus Day at PEARC23”

Student Workforce Development & Internship Survey — Please participate!

The CaRCC Student Workforce Development Interest Group invites the research computing and data (RCD) community to participate in a short survey designed to gather information about existing RCD student workforce and internship programs. Survey results will be shared via the CaRCC website to provide a centralized resource for computing facilities looking to start their own student program or working to augment or improve an existing program.

Should you consent to participate, you will find the survey has two sections: A required short section that should take approximately 10 minutes, and a second optional section that requests more details about your program.

Your participation will help create a valuable resource for the entire RCD community!