BIG DATA

Daniel S. Katz, Ph.D,, a member of LSU’s Center for Computation & Technology, or CCT, and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, will be Grid Infrastructure Group, or GIG, Director of Science for the TeraGrid, the world's largest, most comprehensive distributed cyberinfrastructure for open scientific research. TeraGrid is a National Science Foundation-funded research infrastructure that serves the nation’s researchers and educators by incorporating high-performance computing, high-throughput computing, storage and visualization resources, powerful collaboration environments, and advanced consulting support from 11 resource provider sites across the country As TeraGrid GIG Director of Science, Katz will work with national science and engineering groups to understand their advanced computing requirements and to ensure TeraGrid is adequately serving the research and education communities. He also serves as TeraGrid’s liaison to the TeraGrid Science Advisory Board. Katz began his role with the TeraGrid in mid-August, immediately after being named to the position. As he starts his new job, Katz is eager to hear from users who have opinions on how TeraGrid can better serve the research and education communities. Users can contact him at dsk@cct.lsu.edu. The position is a part-time appointment, and Katz will continue working at LSU while spending half his time on TeraGrid projects. “I have worked for more than 20 years in various aspects of computational science, and I am excited that I now have the chance to work with researchers from around the country to tailor the TeraGrid so that it can be a more effective tool for advancing their research projects. I will also be working, with my TeraGrid colleagues, to strengthen the interaction between the TeraGrid and industry. I am delighted that I will still be able to continue my work to develop LSU’s and Louisiana’s high-performance computing resources,” Katz said. Katz has a diverse computational science background, including work in engineering, climate, astronomy and scientific visualization. Katz leads the CCT Cyberinfrastructure Development division, which designs, develops and prototypes systems and software. He guides the division’s efforts to develop new computing technologies critical to many areas of research in academia, such as coastal modeling and astrophysics, and in industry, such as restoring the Gulf coast and petroleum engineering. Katz also oversaw the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative’s integration into the TeraGrid as a resource provider earlier this year. The network contributes half of its centerpiece computer, Queen Bee’s, cycles to support the national research community. “Dan’s experience with using high-performance computing systems to advance scientific discovery, and his collaborative work at LSU to develop new techniques and applications for computational science with interdisciplinary teams, will help us develop a more effective national cyberinfrastructure that can serve a broader array of research needs,” said Ian Foster, Director of the Computation Institute at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory, and TeraGrid GIG principal investigator. Katz is the second University researcher to obtain a prominent position overseeing national computational science efforts in the past year. In June, the National Science Foundation selected CCT Director Ed Seidel as its Director of the Office of Cyberinfrastructure. Seidel began that position Sept. 1. “Dan brings a breadth of experience to this position, and I am confident he has the skills and qualities that will enable TeraGrid to further develop into one of the world’s leading resources for breakthroughs in all areas of research, business and education,” Seidel said. “Furthermore, it is quite an honor for LSU to have one of our own overseeing these developments nationally. This is certainly a strong recognition and endorsement of the strengths in computational science we have built up in the past several years.” Stephen Meacham, the National Science Foundation’s senior science and technology adviser responsible for TeraGrid activities, said Katz will play an important role in maintaining the TeraGrid’s responsiveness to the needs of the nation’s research and education communities and in ensuring that it remains a highly agile national cyberinfrastructure. “In this role, Dan will help keep TeraGrid aligned with the rapidly growing computational needs of frontier science and engineering research, and will extend its impact to new communities of TeraGrid users,” Meacham said. For more information on TeraGrid, please visit its Web site.