carcc – CARCC

Capabilities Model Assessment Tool Upgraded to Version 2.1

The Capabilities Model Assessment Tool has been upgraded to version 2.1, which includes a range of interface improvements and institutional metadata updates. See the v2.1 Release Notes for a complete list of all changes. Highlights of the new version include:

Improved topic level display that shows average coverage values for each question in that topic, and main assessment page that shows average coverage values for each Facing
Updated progress indicator that filters out Domain Coverage questions, and eliminates them as a requirement for survey submission
Updated RCD Profile user interface that shows additional institutional metadata.

Institutional metadata updates include:

Updated Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) institutional metadata to the most current release
Use of the U.S. Department of Education 2023 Eligibility Matrix that defines programmatic lists of institutions that meet the definitions of the minority-serving program areas.
Metadata to recognize EPSCoR institutions, based upon the National Science Foundation (NSF) definition of EPSCoR Criteria for Eligibility.

About the Capabilities Model

The Capabilities Model allows participating institutions to:

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.

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”.

Revised CaRCC Overview

Overview of CaRCC Organization and Groups

The CaRCC Chairs leadership is pleased to announce that we have a revised “CaRCC One Slide” – It’s that first slide you often see at the beginning of any of the People Network track calls or other activity meet-ups and in which we capture the current CaRCC activity groups.

We’d like to give a huge thanks to Engagement Operations Group member Cyd Burrows-Schilling (University of CA San Diego) for her work on creating a captivating depiction of CaRCC as we know it today. You’ll see that there are some historical references to the growth of CaRCC activity groups, but the impact is the sheer number of active People Network tracks and Interest & Working groups. Thank you, Cyd!

Much appreciation goes to Bob Freeman (Harvard Business School), Patrick Schmitz (Semper Cogito Consulting), and again Cyd Burrows-Schilling for the original timeline slide’s development and upkeep. Look how far we’ve come!

And, finally, thanks to you, the RCD professional community, the individuals embodied by this graphic: Whether attending track calls or engaged in other activities, CaRCC is nothing without each of you!

Nexus Day Staff and Student Workforce Development Update

During the Nexus Day event, held July 10, 2022 in conjunction with the PEARC22 conference, we held an all-day workshop to address student workforce programs and staff onboarding and workforce development practices. Although we intended to spend much of the time addressing both the staff and student workforce issues together, we quickly determined that breakout sessions specific to staff or student development efforts would be more effective and provide an excellent forum to discuss common themes and exchange ideas.

There was a general recognition that common problems and challenges span the two efforts, and there is a desire to address them collectively through shared tools and methodologies and by developing a common framework. Specifically, there was an aspiration to develop a set of learning paths, starting as early as undergraduate RCD staff and continuing through senior-level RCD professionals, to identify existing gaps in training and development. However, it was also recognized that specifics would differ between staff and student development – even though many of the tools, documentation, and basic framework may be the same. Interesting outcomes included a shared desire to develop basic materials, such as a five-minute video on “What is a Research Computing and Data Professional?”, as well as a collective agreement on the need for and value of project management skills and training for those working in research computing and data (RCD).

Read more below about how each of these efforts is evolving:

Conference Proposal Support and Matchmaking

Have you considered submitting a paper or proposal for a workshop or tutorial at the PEARC23, EDUCAUSE, or another upcoming conference? Would you like help with editing your proposal submissions and finding collaborators, or do you want some friendly feedback on your ideas? RCD Nexus is here to help! Join us for this informal session where you can share your ideas and learn about assistance we can offer.

Call Coordinates (Zoom): Due to the recent trend in ZoomBombing, please contact the RCD Nexus Team for the Zoom call information, and please include your name and affiliation.

Annual CaRCC Party and People Network Calls in December

Season’s Greetings to all members of the CaRCC People Network!

Mark your calendars for these end-of-year People Network calls (Zoom details at the end), including the December 8 Annual CaRCC Party! For handy calendar entries, try the CaRCC Events Calendar. We also highlight other calls from our RCD Ecosystem partners and collaborators, as these events touch many, if not all, in our community.

If you’re not on our mailing lists, please fill out our Join the People Network form and join our Slack channels.

Annual CaRCC Party!

Thu, 12/8, 1-2:30p ET/ 12-1:30p CT/ 11a-12:30a MT/ 10-11:30a PT/ 8-9:30a HT
Join us for a 90-minute end-of-year party! We’ll have mixer breakout rooms, voting on the most festive apparel and Zoom backgrounds (come prepared!), prizes, games, and optional reflection discussions about the People Network and SC22. More details are captured in the call document. See you there!

Emerging Centers Track

(3^rd Wednesdays; shifted for this month)
The Business Side of HPC Centers: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
Scott Yockel, PhD, University Research Computing Officer, Harvard University
Wed, 12/14, 12p ET/ 11a CT/ 10a MT/ 9a PT/ 7a HT
Note the date change to Wednesday, Dec. 14 to accommodate holiday schedules!!! We are excited to have Scott Yockel share his extensive experience with the business side of running HPC Centers.

No calls in December for the Data-Facing, Researcher-Facing, Strategy- and Policy-Facing, and Systems-Facing tracks in lieu of the CaRCC Party! The Strategy- and Policy-Facing Track will not have its usual call in January (given the early-January timing).

March People Network and RCD Community Calls

Mark your calendars for these upcoming People Network calls (Zoom details at the end). For handy calendar entries, try the CaRCC Events Calendar. We also highlight other calls from our RCD Ecosystem partners and collaborators, as these events touch many, if not all, in our community.

If you’re not on our mailing lists, please fill out our Join the People Network form and join our Slack channels.

CaRCC People Network Calls:

Data-Facing Track (first Tuesdays)

eCR Now! and COVID-19 – Breaking the Public Health Surveillance Floodgates
Discussion facilitated by John W. Loonsk MD FACMI
Tuesday, March 1st 1p ET/ 12p CT/ 11a MT/ 10a PT

Recording Available: Annual CaRCC Parade of Activities

Video recording of the 2022 CaRCC Parade is now available on the CaRCC YouTube channel. This annual presentation at the beginning of each calendar year provides an update on CaRCC’s activities and accomplishments over the past year, and plans for the future, including opportunities for community members to get more involved.

The2022 CaRCC Parade video can be found here: https://youtu.be/28DVe1YpHB0

CaRCC YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMU1PEMM7V4X_KtPDcfB6HA

The 2022 CaRCC Parade!

CaRCC continues to grow and evolve — the People Network alone currently has over 1000 persons on its mailing list; and the working groups continue to make progress on their goals. Many persons within CaRCC and across the RCD ecosystem are “boundary spanning” — bringing groups together, sharing ideas, and helping both the RCD profession and the research & researchers we support.

Please join us for this now annual event. We will give attendees an overview & update on the organization; highlight some key, example activities and outputs of a couple Working Groups, and conclude with Engagement. This is a great time to invite new colleagues to come and learn about CaRCC, its activities, and how to Get Started or Get Involved!