ACCESS Staff Newsletter – August 2023

Inside ACCESS is a monthly newsletter produced for all ACCESS program staff. It contains program-wide announcements and updates from each of the program's service areas. Questions/comments? Email us at communications@access-ci.org.

Allocations Updates

Next Maximize ACCESS Allocation

Proposal Review Meeting Sept. 11

The Allocations team has been busy preparing for the next Maximize ACCESS allocations proposal review meeting set to take place Sept. 11. A total of 59 proposals were submitted.

New-look Allocations Website on the Way

Allocations is also preparing for the release of its new website. The building of APIs to rapidly pull all necessary data to the forefront of the user interfaces has been completed and testing is underway with initial designs for the new layout (at left). In parallel, new and refreshed documentation is being produced to better highlight the new allocations processes.

Updated Filter for Resource Catalog

Allocations also recently deployed a filter (at right) for its Resource Catalog to assist researchers in identifying suitable resources for their initiatives. These filters are made possible by integration with the CyberInfrastructure Description Repository (CIDeR). A reminder to any Resource Providers: please update your resources with appropriate filter tags. Contact Allocations representatives if you have any questions.

Support Updates

Earn Travel Support by Providing Feedback

Are you interested in travel support (flight, hotel and full registration) to attend the international supercomputing conference SC23 in Denver, CO? If so, we have an exciting travel grant program available in return for participating in our feedback forums (virtual or in-person).

ACCESS Support is also pleased to present the newly refreshed Community Engagement Program (CCEP). This travel grant program has been revamped and simplified with new opportunities ($1,000 and $2,500 tiers). We are looking for everyone to participate, from brand-new researchers and communities to experienced ACCESS users, to enhance and grow the community.

Please share these opportunities with your communities, university and friends. For questions, please contact Alana Romanella. Thanks for helping make research computing resources, ACCESS Support and workforce development better!

Operations Updates

Operations Leadership Planning Retreat

The Operations leadership team met in Rosemont, IL Aug. 21-23 for a planning retreat. The team reviewed project progress thus far and worked toward updating project plans, milestones and goals.

2023-24 STEP Moving Forward

The third facet of the 2023-24 Student Training and Engagement Program (STEP) will kick off Sept. 1. Three of the STEP-2 students were offered part-time internship positions with ACCESS Operations for the 2023-24 academic year. Two students will work with the operational support team and one student will work with the cybersecurity team. Operations looks forward to continuing our engagement with these very talented students this coming year!

ACO Updates

ACCESS Quarterly Meeting Sept. 18-19

The next ACCESS Quarterly Meeting will be held virtually on Monday and Tuesday, September 18-19. You should have received an invitation; if you didn't, please contact Lavanya Podila.

ACCESS is supported by the National Science Foundation.