Current Active Initiatives of the RCCI Include:
- The Best Practices initiative is intended to identify Best Practices in Research Computing and Cyberinfrastructure at the University and across the nation. Read more.
- The Research Software initiative intends to ease the process of identifying and acquiring software. Read more.
Working Group Initiatives:
While each Working Group is a complex initiative in and of itself, (read more about WG’s here) at any given time a team may be focused on one of several enterprises. See some current examples of Working Group endeavors below:
- The High-Performance Computing WG is a part of the ongoing discussion on the implications of the National Institute for Science and Technology (NIST) requirements for data handling at the university level.
- The Data Centers Working Group is currently engaged in:
- Continued contribution to both policies and processes of the University Park Data Center, as well as facilitating deployments and migrations for research-related groups.
- Planning for Data Center buildout by evaluating current and projected power/cooling needs for ICS-ACI and research computing relative to the capacity of current data centers and recommending a time frame for when Penn State must begin the next phase of DC buildout to ensure that Penn State will have adequate space, power, and cooling facilities, to service the needs of research computing.
- Assisting in planning to realize anticipated efficiencies of scale by decommissioning inefficient data centers and computer rooms across the University Park campus, while minimizing the disruption to research and additional burden on IT staff.
- By the fall of 2016, Penn State’s Software Asset Management Service will have had several months of service; the Software Working Group will collaborate with the Service Manager to review challenges and opportunities, and to continue discussions on marketing and promoting the service to researchers at the university.
- The IT Career Track WG is currently addressing several “big picture” IT career track challenges such as:
- Creating an overall strategy for managing Penn State’s human capital that would help to build a highly effective, performance-based IT organization through recruiting, acquiring, motivating, and rewarding a high-performing, top quality workforce.
- Categorizing job definitions and classifications in order to sensibly and efficiently address issues revolving around salary levels and equity.