Using graphic design and statistics to analyze and present complex  fiscal information in an easily understood format, my research focuses on
mastering the dynamic process of communicating scientifi c information.  Required for this process is the ability to evaluate the specifi c needs of an organization, to gather requirements, criteria and constraints of the information to be communicated, and to develop expertise using the
Excel, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign software applications.  This poster will demonstrate the application of this process using various techniques to visually demonstrate fi scal information to inform and educate University Leadership about resource use at the Arctic Region
Supercomputing Center for the 2011  fiscal year

Bartholomew, Anne

English

ScholarWorks@UA

Air QualityBiology and EcologyClimateComputer Graphics and VisualizationCryosphere ModelingData ArchivingData Intensive ComputingLand Surface ModelingMaterials ScienceMolecular DynamicsOceans and their EcosystemsSeismology and Tsunami ForecastingSpace/AstrophysicsSystems and ComplexityUniversity CurriculumWeather and Atmospheric ScienceCore Research AreasN 64°51.590’ W°147 51.020’emphasis onthe arcticArctic Region  Supercomputing Center The mission of the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center is to provide an ensemble of outstanding expertise, state-of-the-art technology and innovative research projects that will:• Enable the creation and discovery of knowledge in science, engineering and art.•  Enhance educational and research capabilities of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska and the United States.• Advance knowledge of the polar regions.• Contribute to a richer understanding of the world around us.Arctic Region Supercomputing Center (ARSC) PO Box 756020, Fairbanks, AK 99775 voice: 907-450-8600 | fax: 907-450-8603For questions or comments regarding this pamphlet contact info@arsc.edu prediction are made possible through high performance computingemphasis onthe arcticN 64°51.590’ W°147 51.020’Photo credits: Globe featuring Arctic regions, NASA; Boundary Fire, Mike Richmond; All other images, Arctic Region Supercomputing CenterUAF is an AA/EO employer and educational institution.07-30-09Arctic-powered High Performance  ComputingARSC provides a full range of computational systems and data systems. Researchers within the U.S. Defense Department, the University of Alaska and other academic organizations worldwide use high-performance supercomputers and networking for national competitiveness, global security and economic success. Studies range from Arctic geophysical phenomena to new breeds of HPC software and microprocessors.Next Generation TechnologiesARSC connects the research, computing and defense communities to study new and next-generation computing technologies. For example, Quasar is a small cluster of IBM QS22 compute blades provided as an open research platform to study next generation technology. Emphasis areas include quantifying how hybrid processors and systems can be used to accelerate computationally demanding applications, and the use of graphics processing units (GPUs) for HPC workloads. GPUs are ubiquitous and powerful in desktop and laptop computers. Their use is an important, emerging research topic for high performance computing.Communicating UAF’s Return on Investment in the Computational Sciences Figure 1: “Emphasis on Arctic” template used to create “Supporting Arctic Research” tri-fold publication. Figure 3: One of many drafts vetted during the design process. IntroductionUsing graphic design and statistics to analyze and present complex scal information in an easily understood format, my research focuses on mastering the dynamic process of communicating scientic information. Required for this process is the ability to evaluate the specic needs of an organization, to gather requirements, criteria and constraints of the information to be communicated, and to develop expertise using the Excel1, Adobe Photoshop2, Illustrator3, and InDesign4 software applications. This poster will demonstrate the application of this process using various techniques to visually demonstrate scal information to inform and educate University Leadership about resource use at the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center for the 2011 scal year.1. “Microsoft Excel” 2010, <http://oce.microsoft.com>2. “Adobe Photoshop CS5” <http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/design.html>3. “Adobe Illustrator CS5” <http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/design.html>4. Adobe InDesign CS5” <http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/design.html>Annual Archival Data Storage and CPU Hour AllocationExternal Funding Dependant on ARSCARSC provides resources essential to Arctic based research within the University of Alaska, the State of Alaska, and the world wide research community. www.arsc.eduHigh Value Jobs at ARSC  Jan 2012 Total  Storage  (Terabytes)  FY12 CPU Hour Allocation (hundreds of thousands)   Total Annual Archival Storage Data: 2646 TerabytesTotal CPU Hour Allocation: 16.8 Million CPU HoursTotal External Funding Dependent on ARSC (FY 2011): 8.1 Millon DollarsTotal External Funding (FY 2011): 13.6 Million      60% directly dependent on ARSC’s resources26 personnel today with a total of over 289 years at UAF6, A further 8 have Masters degreesHigh-value JobsStudent JobsCurrent Industry Staffers with a Ph.D. 50+ held by ARSC staff members94 since 1994. 18 of those students continued on to full-time jobs with ARSC, including 6 support staff membersThe availability of ARSC resources is crucial to continuing Arctic research at the University of Alaska.UAF’s ROI in ARSC is calculated by the self-reported external funding External Fu ding Dependent on ARSC’s Resources Archival Data Storage Usage and CPU Hour Allocation16 : 1UAF’s Financial Return on Investment:Photo credits:  Von postbreen glacier by Coloqilo.                                                 Available at www.panoramio.com/photo/25186675                        Released under the Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) license.All other images, Arctic Region Supercomputing CenterUAF is an AA/EO employer and education institution.March 2012ARSCThe mission of the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center is to provide an ensemble of outstanding expertise, state-of-the-art technology and innovative research projects that will:• Enable the creation and discovery of knowledge in science, engineering and art.• Enhance educational and research capabilities of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska and the United States.• Advance knowledge of the polar regions.• Contribute to a richer understanding of the world around us.Arctic Region Supercomputing Center (ARSC) PO Box 756020, Fairbanks, AK 99775 voice: 907-450-8600 | fax: 907-450-8601For questions or comments regarding this pamphlet contact info@arsc.eduSpring 2012Core Research AreasAir QualityBiology and EcologyClimateComputer Graphics and VisualizationCryosphere ModelingData ArchivingData Intensive ComputingLand Surface ModelingMaterials ScienceMolecular DynamicsOceans and their EcosystemsSeismology and Tsunami ForecastingSpace/AstrophysicsSystems and ComplexityUniversity CurriculumWeather and Atmospheric ScienceN 64°51.590’ W°147 51.020’supportingarctic researchCurrently there are 258 scientists working on 87 active research projects using high performance computing resources at the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center. ResultsAnne Bartholomew, Oralee Nudson, Dr. Greg NewbyArctic Region Supercomputing Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska USA                                                                             asbartholomew@alaska.eduFigure 4: Final Cover of ARSC “Supporting Arctic Research” pamphlet.Evaluate the Message to be Communicated“Supporting Arctic Research” was created to demonstrate UAF’s return on investment ratio and to express ARSC’s importance to the state of Alaska’s research community. The publication’s target audience was university ocials interested in ARSC’s resource use. A tri-fold pamphlet was chosen to represent this information because of its portability and engagement value. Requirements GatheringInformation was gathered and analyzed in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet with instructions to describe ARSC’s external funding and resource use by Core Research Area. Using self reported funding amounts from ARSC users, UAF’s return on investment ration was calculated for the 2011 scal year. ImplementationUsing previous ARSC publications as examples, a tri-fold template (see Figure 1) was selected to emphasize ARSC’s return on investment ratio.  Many iterations of data gures were created including pie charts, bar graphs, and histograms. The selected horizontal and vertical bar graphs were utilized for communicating the lack of correlation in ARSC resource use and external funding dependent on ARSC. To make this data more interesting to the reader, these graphs were placed on images modied in Adobe Photoshop as shown in Figure 2. Several designs were adapted and vetted during the design process as shown Figure 3, a previous draft. Figure 2: Images modied in photoshop to provide a back drop for ARSC  resource use information and funding amounts. Figure 5: Final inside of ARSC “Supporting Arctic Research” pamphlet.The nal draft shown in Figures 4 and 5 demonstrates UAF’s return on investment ratio for the 2011 scal year and ARSC’s importance to Arctic research across the state of Alaska. Through interactive data gures and eye-catching color schemes, the ARSC “Supporting Arctic Research” tri-fold pamphlet succeeded in conveying ARSC’s resource use distribution and UAF’s return on investment ratio for the 2011 scal year. ReferencesConclusionDespite the short timeline between receipt of the raw Excel spreadsheet data and the deadline for delivering the nal draft to UAF Printing Services, this project nished successfully.  The nal publication was delivered, on time, to University Leadership personnel in both printed and digital versions.  Method

Communicating UAF's Return on Investment in the Computational Sciences

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Communicating UAF's Return on Investment in the Computational Sciences

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