STEP Accepting Applications Through Feb. 15

ACCESS Operations is accepting applications to its Student Training and Engagement Program (STEP) now through Feb.15. STEP is a three-phase program intended for undergraduates or early-career graduate students interested in pursuing careers in cyberinfrastructure. Hear first-hand about the 2024-25 STEP experience from past STEP cohort members and learn how to apply at the links below. 

ACCESS Cybersecurity Awareness Resources 

The ACCESS Cybersecurity Resource Awareness web page was created to serve as a resource hub for researchers, resources providers (RPs) and the entire ACCESS community, offering helpful tips, tools and guides. For researchers, it includes links to NSF-funded initiatives like cybersecurity SEED Labs and funding opportunities for cybersecurity research. For those involved in managing cybersecurity infrastructure, it provides access to guides and toolkits, such as the Trusted CI Framework Implementation Guide and the NICE Cybersecurity Awareness Program Toolkit. Additionally, the page shares links to cybersecurity resources from trusted organizations, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Homeland Security, and the NSF’s Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace program, all aimed at enhancing security practices and fostering a deeper understanding of cybersecurity across different sectors.

How Are We Doing? Let Us Know!

The ACCESS Community Survey is here – Check your email inbox! The ACCESS team has sent out invitations for our annual community survey that we use to guide our future work, improve ACCESS services and provide feedback to the National Science Foundation regarding your experiences with ACCESS. If you received the invitation, you were selected to provide valuable feedback that will help us improve ACCESS services for all U.S. researchers and educators.

Announcing the Redesigned Resource Page

ACCESS Allocations introduces its new and improved Resource page, formerly called the Resource Catalog. The page is a one-stop shop for anyone seeking information on the resources available through ACCESS. 

The page’s top navigation organizes information into four boxes at the top of the page:

• Browse Resources – shares an alphabetical list of resources, tagged by key features for easy searching
• Ask a Question – links to the Q & A tool where a chatbot can help find answers to your questions
• Get Suggestions – provides a form for more information
• Read News – displays the latest ACCESS news headlines

Clicking on a resource’s name in the resource list leads to a full page of information about that resource, including specifications, user guides, available software packages, announcements, links to recent projects, a “User Community” section and much more. 

New and enhanced features will continue to be added in the new year. Take a tour of the page today to find out how it can help with your research!

New Office Hours System for Ookami

The Ookami team is excited to announce a new and improved approach to team office hours that will better serve its users and maximize the value of their time. Starting immediately, weekly scheduled office hours will be replaced with on-demand office hours – a flexible, personalized way to get expert support when you need it most. The new approach means users can now book a one-on-one session with team experts at a time that suits their schedule. Whether you need help troubleshooting, optimizing workflows or planning your next big project, the Ookami team is here to assist! 

Be a PEARC25 Reviewer!

The PEARC25 conference committee is seeking reviewers representing the full range of research computing and data (RCD) expertise. For details on reviewer responsibilities and timelines, please see the PEARC25 Reviewer Guide. As a reviewer, you’ll play a vital role in ensuring conference sessions are relevant, compelling and high-quality. Please help make PEARC25 the best one yet! If you're interested in serving as a reviewer, please sign up now using this PEARC25 Reviewer Sign-Up form below.

PEARC Reviewer Sign Up Form

It's Time to Register for the GOOD Conference! 

A quick reminder that registration is open for the inaugural Global Open OnDemand (GOOD) conference! In case you missed the news, the GOOD conference is an event for the entire Open OnDemand community. GOOD25 is a three-day, in-person event taking place March 18 – 20 at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in live keynote sessions, talks, BoFs and tutorials and to get to know fellow members of the Open OnDemand community. 

Register for GOOD25

On-Ramps Introduces ACCESS Resources to New Audiences

Institutions can now connect their faculty and students directly to information about ACCESS and its resources through the new ACCESS On-Ramps product.

An ACCESS On-Ramp is an inline JavaScript component that organizations embed directly into their websites, providing their member community with streamlined access to available ACCESS resources. The intuitive On-Ramps interface lets viewers browse and filter the set of resources and enables new audiences to smoothly and easily discover the powerful cyberinfrastructure available to them. On-Ramps allows for easy self-service deployment – essentially copying and pasting a few lines of Javascript into a web page – with most organizations able to implement it independently, though technical assistance is readily available.

The number of institutions leveraging On-Ramps is rapidly growing, with the product currently deployed at the Rocky Mountain Advanced Computing Consortium (RMACC), Illinois Computes at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Baylor University and Jackson State University.

ACCESS is supported by the

National Science Foundation.