Advances in science and technology fields are increasingly accomplished as part of multidisciplinary and multi-institutional collaborations that require complex cyberinfrastructure. A regional CyberTeam led by the Great Plains Network has supported and advanced the computational and data-intensive research across the region through the development of specific cyberinfrastructure resources, workforce training, and the development of unique, mutual, and cross-institutional support methodologies and agreements. The project has advanced the adoption and experience of advanced computing and data resources by developing a model built upon best and emerging practices for cross training and researcher outreach, pairing an experienced mentor at one institution with a mentee at another. Furthermore, cyberteam has established a virtual collaborative space for cyberinfrastructure professionals and stakeholders to engage in cross-institutional knowledge sharing and planning. In short, we have established a sustainable regional ecosystem of collaboration at all levels of research and education supporting cyberinfrastructure, from the researcher facing staff up through the campus organizations and even state research and education networks (RENs).

The Great Plains CyberTeam mentoring has increased access to cyberinfrastructure resources through the region due to our activities, including a) mentoring, b) advising, and c) regional workshops and tutorials. The CyberTeam?s mentoring activities have ranged from supporting specific high-performance computing technologies to standing up first-time research computing clusters for smaller institutions in the region. In our advising capacity, members of the CyberTeam have assisted the development and organization of state-level research cooperatives that are modeled after the CyberTeam.  Some of these successfully acquired significant EPSCoR funding.  One of the greatest effects within the Great Plains are  more  workshops and tutorials for STEM research and education on high-performance computing resources. Workshops and tutorials have been, and will continue to be, held at the Great Plains Annual Meeting and in more targeted campus and state REN technical exchanges.

The Great Plains CyberTeam has achieved its objectives. 1) Improved campus awareness and adoption of advanced cyberinfrastructure. Our region is now a leader in the utilization of the NSF National Research Platform (NRP) as well as contributors to its expansion, operation, and adoption. 2) Increased the number of campus research computing and data professionals at mentored institutions, especially for institutions with small IT staffs with many job duties. We have ensured that young professionals have access to mentors and resources throughout the region to ensure they have navigable career pathways. 3) Increased the capabilities of campus cyberinfrastructure resources. As noted, we have enabled smaller institutions to stand-up first time high-performance computing resources, as well as helped a variety of regional stakeholders migrate research computing to national research platforms. Specifically, the CyberTeam facilitated the successful proposal to extend both the Open Science Grid (OSG) and the NRP with regional resources through our GP-ARGO and GP-ENGINE projects, respectively. 4) Enabled development, deployment, and operation of cyberinfrastructure to make science efficient, trusted, and reproducible. This has been accomplished at a range of institutions throughout the region, ranging from primarily undergraduate institutions (PUI) and minority serving institutions (MSI) up through our R1 research universities in the region.

The impact of the Great Plains cyberteam includes: 25 CI professionals engaged as either mentors, mentees, or both; ten (10) scholarships for students interested in CI careers to attend SC21; seventeen (17) scholarships for CI, students, and faculty to attend SC20; and twelve (12) students and CI professionals to attend the 2022 Great Plains Annual Meeting for National Research Platform tutorials. Additionally, 

ten (10) institutions across five states were assisted t with cyberinfrastructure planning and/or proposal preparation.

The Great Plains CyberTeam has extended collaboration throughout the region and strengthened relationships by fostering a sustainable community that is built atop the unique values of the great plains of helping friends and neighbors succeed. We will continue advancing our cyberinfrastructure workforce, enhancing our research capacity, and ensuring our researcher-facing cyberinfrastructure professionals have the skills to enable leading research for the nation.

Last Modified: 07/30/2023
Modified by: Grant J Scott