Joining Forces to Advance Institutional Research
Computing is an essential component of research and education across a variety of fields, especially those involving data-intensive science. Many small, mid-sized, and under-resourced campuses have compelling science research and education activities that would benefit from better access to advanced cyberinfrastructure (the combination of advanced computing and data storage systems with knowledgeable people, all connected by fast networks). However, they lack the necessary in-house expertise to make use of it. Without this expertise, researchers at these institutions must navigate a complex and daunting set of choices and decisions without guidance, particularly when the required resources are outside of their campus environments.

Networks and regional collaborations, such as the Eastern Regional Network (ERN), aim to simplify multi-campus collaborations and partnerships that help advance the frontiers of research and innovation. Through a partnership of educational institutions, research facilities, regional network providers, and Internet2, the ERN is committed to providing layered and transparent access to shared data and computing facilities. “Regional network providers play a significant role as facilitators and user support for the smaller institutions,” says Dr. Forough Ghahramani, Associate Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Sponsored Programs, Edge. “For example, Edge uses a collaborative network to enable conversations across member institutions to leverage existing relevant shared resources to support researchers and help identify joint funding opportunities.” [Read the full article at Edge |News]

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many archeological digs were put on hold, as collaborating researchers from various international universities could not travel to conduct fieldwork as a team. In California, the technological possibilities of the Pacific Research Platform not only enabled researchers at the University of California San Diego and their partners at the University of Haifa (UH) in Israel to go ahead with their expedition but also drastically accelerated data analysis times.

UCSD researchers had planned to fly to Israel to work in person with their UH counterparts on the underwater excavation of a late Stone Age Neolithic village located off northern Israel’s Carmel Coast. But quarantine requirements would have turned a three-week trip into a two-month-long commitment filled with idle time. Instead, UH researchers conducted the fieldwork while UCSD researchers helped process and analyze the findings virtually. [Read the full article at the CENIC | Blog]

MCNC, the technology non-profit that builds, owns, and operates the statewide North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN), today reaffirmed its commitment to digital equity in North Carolina – offering recommendations, support, technology and more, as well as issuing a call to action to connect with others who also want to achieve this important goal.

Digital equity can improve healthcare, education, local economies, and give citizens effective ways to connect online while obtaining the skills they need to participate in today’s remote work and learning environments. According to MCNC President and CEO Tracy Doaks, digital equity in North Carolina would have long-lasting economic and social benefits; MCNC is therefore ready to lead and, more importantly, ready to listen. [Read the full press release on MCNC | News]