ACADEMIA

The Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at The University of Texas at Austin will host the 2nd Annual SURA Cyberinfrastructure workshop focused on Grid Application Planning and Implementation. The main workshop and a second technical workshop will be held December 6 - 9, 2005, at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus in Austin, Texas. (For information on Registration, Agenda, and Travel, please visit its Web site; early registration ends November 22. The Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) is a consortium of over sixty universities across the United States. SURA operates the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy and promotes initiatives in nuclear physics, information technologies, and coastal research. The content and format of the main workshop are designed to address the application of grid technology for the advancement of all areas of science. “This workshop will enable attendees to support more efficient and effective grid application deployment, says Mary Fran Yafchak, SURA’s IT Program Coordinator. “TACC is recognized for expertise in grid development as well as deployment, and is an active, valuable contributor to SURA regional grid activities. SURA is pleased to further extend our partnership with TACC through collaboration in this educational event.” Presentations from major grid initiatives will illuminate the broader uses of grids, followed by case studies of “grid-enabling” applications. Interactive breakouts will offer a closer look at key issues, and select related topics will provide additional context for implementation—all designed to leave attendees better prepared to move forward with grid application development or deployment. A second technical workshop titled “Grid Technology: The Rough Guide” will be offered immediately following the main workshop for an additional registration fee. Warren Smith, manager of TACC’s Distributed and Grid Computing Group, says: “These two workshops provide valuable information to a range of attendees, but in particular to potential users and deployers of grids. Attendees will interact with experts and peers that are already using and deploying grids to learn what a grid is and the benefits of having a grid. The technical workshop expands on the main workshop by providing detailed information about grid technologies as well as hands-on instruction on how to deploy a grid.” People that will benefit include faculty and researchers beginning to use grids; application developers who want to better understand implementation considerations; funding agencies that disseminate information on funding opportunities; strategic planners who want to learn more about the “climate” of grid application deployment; research officers to understand the language of grids; and campus teams (IT, application, policy, funding) working collaboratively on grid deployment. Join both experts and peers for presentations and interaction to: * extend understanding of grid concepts and applicability to advanced applications; * gain insight into a broad range of applications that are benefiting from grids; * share recommendations and road maps for successful grid application deployment; and * establish contacts for ongoing collaboration and peer support. * This workshop is benefiting from the participation of industry leaders: * Cisco Systems, Inc. (Platinum sponsor) * SUN Microsystems (Silver sponsor) * United Devices, Inc. (Silver sponsor) * IBM Corporation (Silver sponsor)