e-Science Centres of Excellence Meeting
6 November 2003
What can NeSC do for your Centre?
Dr Anna Kenway
(Centre Manager)
What ‘we’ can do.
Events at NeSI
Visiting Researchers at
NeSI
Training
GridNet
Website
NeSCForge
Wikis, IRC
http://www.nesc.ac.uk/esi/
NeSI - Events
We originally applied to run 6 two-week
‘Newton Institute’ style events a year.
We actually run an average of eight a month
(including ones with virtual participants).
These include:
Workshops
Research and project meetings
Summer schools
Training e.g. Java for Webservices, XML, .Net,
specialised courses for AstroGrid, EU DataGrid
We couldn’t do this without
a good support infrastructure with
streamlined procedures, a well designed
information system and a great team with a
‘can do’ attitude
the good rates for accommodation, catering
and other services that we are able to
negotiate because of our volume of activity
this wonderful building generously provided
by the University of Edinburgh
We are professionals.
To hold an e-Science Event
Contact director@nesc.ac.uk with your
suggestion.
We normally provide:
On-line registration
Administrative support gill@nesc.ac.uk
Arranging accommodation (and catering) for
delegates
Technical support including WirelessLAN
and AccessGrid
Publication of event materials
To hold an e-Science Event
What we pay for:
Speakers’ travel and subsistence ( 1or 2
a day)
Daytime catering
One conference dinner at a moderate price
venue (we arrange)
No charge for building, technology, support
staff etc.
We do not normally cover delegate costs.
Research Visitors
This has been hard to start up for longer
term visitors
We opted for part-time secondment to prime
the system (Richard Baldock, Bob Mann)
“Research Leaders”
Recently completed a call for more.
Application is web-based. (System under
review.) The application then goes to the
NeSC Science Advisory Board.
There is a sliding scale of costs refunded,
depending on the duration of the visit.
Duties of a NeSC Research Leader
encouraging the uptake of Grid technologies in
Astronomy and related fields
encouraging visitors, with whom you have a research
overlap, to visit Edinburgh and work with you and other
local colleagues
organising and running research workshops
assisting with the development of new core Grid and
scientific database technologies
promoting NeSC within the Universities of Edinburgh and
Glasgow through, for example, personal presentations
and more widely at conferences and workshops.
…and all that in 0.5 FTE!
Slide from Dr Bob Mann: 30 September 2003
Training
We were doing this as part of NeSI activity.
Are now building a team to be headed by John
Murison who is funded by JISC.
There will be 4 further trainers – 2 funded by
PPARC/e-Science and 2 by the EU as part of the
EGEE project.
Proposal is for the team to hold about 2 training
events a month – not all in Edinburgh, but elsewhere
in the UK and EU as well.
University of Glasgow recently refurbished and
equipped a training facility in the e-Science Hub.
GridNet
This is money that NeSC manages on behalf of
the e-Science programme to
“…support members of the UK Grid community to
participate appropriately in the international
standardisation and co-ordination bodies such as
GGF, W3C and IETF…”
Normally for sustained participation
End date is 31 Jan 2005
Value of award is £493,009 – so far have
awarded £292,628
Apply on the web (under eSI)
The Website – a Resource
National e-Science Centre
http://www.nesc.ac.uk/
Mission, Background, Foundation, Locations, Staff, Resources, Projects
Register interest, Mailing lists, NeSCForge
Regional associations and Collaborations
News, Notices
Presentations and Lectures
http://www.nesc.ac.uk/presentations/
National e-Science Institute
http://www.nesc.ac.uk/esi/
Mission, Events (Future and Past)
Register for Events, Visitor Programme, GridNet
UK e-Science
Map and Index of Centres
Technical Papers
Index of >100 Projects
Task Forces
General Information
Glossary, Bibliography, Who’s who
http://www.nesc.ac.uk/centres/
http://www.nesc.ac.uk/technical_papers/
http://www.nesc.ac.uk/projects/
http://www.nesc.ac.uk/teams/
NeSCForge
NeSC Forge used for collaborative
development
Provides full development system with
Versioning (via CVS)
Project web site
Tools for communication between
development teams
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Discussion Forums
Bug tracking
Support requests, patch submissions, and
enhancement requests
Communication between project members
using mailing lists
Sharing of documentation
Handling of to-do lists, tasks, etc
File uploads/releases
Posting of news
Code Snippets
Real-time messaging (through Jabber
support)
Currently used by several projects
QCDgrid, ILDG
Other services…
WIKI’s
IRC’s using e-Science Certificate
SIG’s…
Contact david@nesc.ac.uk
… and we are always open to suggestions.
Email lists – contact anna@nesc.ac.uk
Finish