Sustained Software for Cyberinfrastructure - Analyses of Successful Efforts with a Focus on NSF-Funded Software

Reliable software that provides needed functionality is clearly essential for an effective distributed cyberinfrastructure (CI) that supports comprehensive, balanced, and flexible distributed CI that, in turn, supports science and engineering applications. The purpose of this study was to understand what factors lead to software projects being well sustained over the long run, focusing on software created with funding from the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and/or used by researchers funded by the NSF. We surveyed NSF-funded researchers and performed in-depth studies of software projects that have been sustained over many years. Successful projects generally used open-source software licenses and employed good software engineering practices and test practices. However, many projects that have not been well sustained over time also meet these criteria. The features that stood out about successful projects included deeply committed leadership and some sort of user forum or conference at least annually. In some cases, software project leaders have employed multiple financial strategies over the course of a decades-old software project. Such well-sustained software is used in major distributed CI projects that support thousands of users, and this software is critical to the operation of major distributed CI facilities in the US. The findings of our study identify some characteristics of software that is relevant to the NSF-supported research community, and that has been sustained over many years

Results of 2013 Survey of Parallel Computing Needs Focusing on NSF-funded Researchers

The field of supercomputing is experiencing a rapid change in system structure, programming models, and software environments in response to advances in application requirements and in underlying enabling technologies. Traditional parallel programming approaches have relied on static resource allocation and task scheduling through programming interfaces such as MPI and OpenMP. These methods are reaching their efficiency and scalability limits on the new emerging classes of systems, spurring the creation of innovative dynamic strategies and software tools, including advanced runtime system software and programming interfaces that use them. To accelerate adoption of these next-generation methods, Indiana University is investigating the creation of a single supported Reconfigurable Execution Framework Testbed (REFT) to be used by parallel application algorithm developers as well as researchers in advanced tools for parallel computing. These investigations are funded by the National Science Foundation Award Number 1205518 to Indiana University with Thomas Sterling as Principal Investigator, and Maciej Brodowicz, Matthew R. Link, Andrew Lumsdaine, and Craig Stewart as Co-Principal Investigators. As a starting point in this research we proposed to assess needs in parallel computing in general and needs for software tools and testbeds in particular within the NSF-funded research community. As one set of data toward understanding these needs, we conducted a survey of researchers funded by the National Science Foundation. Because of the strong possibility of distinct needs of researchers funded by what is now the Division of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure, researchers funded by the other divisions of the Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering Directorate, and researchers funded by the remainder of the NSF, we surveyed these populations separately. The report states the methods and summarize survey results. The data sets and copies of SPSS descriptive statistics describing the data are available online at http://hdl.handle.net/2022/19924.National Science Foundation Award Number 120551

A Pandemic of Busywork: Increased Online Coursework Following the Transition to Remote Instruction is Associated with Reduced Academic Achievement

Under normal circumstances, when students invest more effort in their schoolwork, they generally show evidence of improved academic achievement.  But when universities abruptly transitioned to remote instruction in Spring 2020, instructors assigned rapidly-prepared online learning activities, disrupting the normal relationship between effort and outcomes.  In this study, we examine this relationship using data observed from a large-scale survey of undergraduate students, from logs of student activity in the online learning management system, and from students’ estimated cumulative performance in their courses (n = 4,636).  We find that there was a general increase in the number of assignments that students were expected to complete following the transition to remote instruction, and that students who spent more time and reported more effort carrying out this coursework generally had lower course performance and reported feeling less successful.  We infer that instructors, under pressure to rapidly put their course materials online, modified their courses to include online busywork that did not constitute meaningful learning activities, which had a detrimental effect on student outcomes at scale.  These findings are discussed in contrast with other situations when increased engagement does not necessarily lead to improved learning outcomes, and in comparison with the broader relationship between effort and academic achievement

Indiana University Pervasive Technology Institute – Research Technologies: XSEDE Service Provider and XSEDE subcontract report (PY1: 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012)

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF or XSEDE leadership.This document is a summary of the activities of the Research Technologies division of UITS, a Service & Cyberinfrastructure Center affiliated with the Indiana University Pervasive Technology Institute, as part of the eXtreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE) during XSEDE Program Year 1 (1 July 2011 – 30 June 2012). This document consists of three parts: - Section 2 of this document describes IU’s activities as an XSEDE Service Provider, using the format prescribed by XSEDE for reporting such activities. - Section 3 of this document describes IU’s activities as part of XSEDE management, operations, and support activities funded under a subcontract from the National Center for Supercomputer Applications (NCSA), the lead organization for XSEDE. This section is organized by the XSEDE Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) plan. - Appendix 1 is a summary table of IU’s education, outreach, and training events funded and supported in whole or in part by IU’s subcontract from NCSA as part of XSEDE.This document was developed with support from National Science Foundation (NSF) grant OCI-1053575

Sustainability of cyberinfrastructure software: Community needs, case studies, and success strategies

This report discusses factors that lead to open source software being sustained over the long term, and presents recommendations on best practices for cyberinfrastructure software development, support, and sustainability. It aims to provide the scientific community, software developers, and the NSF with information that will contribute to software that is more reliable and sustainable, and to reduce duplication of effort in software development. Findings are based on responses to surveys of NSF-funded investigators (summarized in "Models for Sustainability for Robust Cyberinfrastructure Software" [http://hdl.handle.net/2022/17313]). The companion dataset appears in "Best Practices and Models for Sustainability for Robust Cyberinfrastructure Software” - Survey Dataset and Analyses" at http://hdl.handle.net/2022/17312.NS

Preprint: Institutional Value of a Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prize is awarded each year to individuals who have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind in Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Economics, Literature, and Peace, and is considered by many to be the most prestigious recognition for one's body of work. Receiving a Nobel prize confers a sense of financial independence and significant prestige, vaulting its recipients to global prominence. Apart from the prize money (approximately US$1,145,000), a Nobel laureate can expect to benefit in a number of ways, including increased success in securing grants, wider adoption and promulgation of one's theories and ideas, increased professional and academic opportunities, and, in some cases, a measure of celebrity. A Nobel laureate's affiliated institution, by extension, also greatly benefits. Because of this, many institutions seek to employ Nobel Prize winners or individuals who have a high likelihood of winning one in the future. Many of the recent discoveries and innovations recognized with a Nobel Prize were made possible only because of advanced computing capabilities. Understanding the ways in which advanced research computing facilities and services are essential in enabling new and important discoveries cannot be overlooked in examining the value of a Nobel Prize. This paper explores an institution's benefits of having a Nobel Prize winner among its ranks.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, PEARC22 conferenc

Assessing the financial value to Indiana University of IU's investments in advanced cyberinfrastructure

Technical repor

Results of 2013 Survey of Parallel Computing Needs Focusing on NSF-funded Researchers - Dataset and Analyses

National Science Foundation Award Number 120551

Who Cares About Science Gateways? A Large-Scale Survey of Community Use and Needs (Dataset)

With the rise of science gateway use in recent years, we anticipate there are additional opportunities for growth, but the field is currently fragmented. This data set represents the results our efforts to measure the extent and characteristics of the gateway community through a large-scale survey. Our goal was to understand what type of support services might be provided to the gateway community.This project was funded by the National Science Foundation under grant numbers 1216668, 1216723, 1216730, 1216733, 1216815, and 1216870, with additional support from the Indiana University Pervasive Technology Institut