RCN:CIP: Midwest Research Computing and Data Consortium

Cyberinfrastructure (CI) professionals underpin the nation’s academic and non-profit research and development by the innovation and maintenance of computational environments for science and engineering research and development. CI professionals are employed at academic institutions throughout the country, sometimes in groups of one to two people, and at some institutions in numbers considerably larger.

The CI professional(s) must be responsive and innovative regardless of group size. And this pressure exists in a highly dynamic environment of computationally-based research that encompasses new technology needs almost daily, e.g. artificial intelligence (AI), edge/fog computing, function-as-a-service of public clouds. The Midwest Research Computing and Data Consortium (MWRCD) is the Midwestern hub of research computing and data infrastructure professionals, and its purpose is to build a community among cyberinfrastructure professionals who share a strong regional identity in order to share information, solve problems, and advocate for important community-driven needs.

As a regional consortium, the MWRCD is positioned for equity; that is, it better serves smaller, less well-resourced institutions. It is positioned for impact for the CI professional as well, which it does through innovative networking strategies, focusing on broadening participation across diverse groups and institutions, creating resource documents on topics of interest, and fostering new collaborations.

Initial topics include FAIR data, AI cyberinfrastructure, and return on investment of cyberinfrastructure. The project is committed to data collection and evaluation that will contribute to the broader study of the role of the CI professional in team science.

The Midwest Research Computing and Data Consortium’s organization and plans are founded upon the Community Participation Model in which the organization moves from principally serving as an information sharing hub to achieving transformational objectives. To actualize the goals, MWRCD will use a set of programmatic mechanisms, which prioritize inclusiveness and broadening representation, which are referred to as programmatic accelerators.

These accelerators consist of a 1) Student Fellows Shadow program, 2) Residencies Program, 3) Professional Mentorship Program, and 4) Affinities Group Program. Additionally, the materials to be developed and disseminated will enable and empower research computing and data professionals to communicate more effectively with key stakeholders. The theme of MWRCD efforts is that regional stakeholders working together in a trusted setting can help each other and the field.

This is by working collectively on topics of mutual interest, by onboarding organizations that find value in the mission of the organization, by sharing information transparently, and by providing opportunities for cyberinfrastructure professionals in collaborating organizations to contribute, to be mentored, to belong to a cohort, and to become leaders.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.