Seeking Drupal expert to represent the community at an NSF-funded focus group on research portals/gateways; reply by 6/14

DUE TO VERY FAST, ENTHUSIASTIC RESPONSE, WE ARE NO LONGER IN SEARCH OF A PARTICIPANT. THANKS!

We would like to invite a Drupal expert to attend an invitational focus group whose purpose is to identify characteristics of successful science/engineering gateways that would warrant sustained funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Web-based community resources to support science and engineering research--often called gateways or portals--provide access to software, data, collaboration tools, and high-performance computing to enhance productivity. Because the focus group will be held in Chicago, we thought it would be most convenient for someone from the Chicago Drupal group to attend. The input gathered at the focus group will be used to provide guidelines to NSF to help with future solicitations and funding decisions.

If you have questions after reading the information below, please contact Nancy Wilkins-Diehr (wilkinsn@sdsc.edu; 858-534-5118).

When and where is the "Sustaining Gateways" focus group?
The "Sustaining Gateways" focus group will be held in downtown Chicago, beginning on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 at 1 p.m. and running through to noon the following day. Further details regarding the specific location are available on our website http://www.sciencegateways.org.

When do I need to reply?
Please reply at your earliest convenience to Nancy Wilkins-Diehr (wilkinsn@sdsc.edu) or Katherine Lawrence (kathla@umich.edu) if you would like to attend, but reply no later than June 14. PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP THROUGH THIS DRUPAL EVENT POSTING. We can accommodate only one Drupal representative as this focus group will be attended by faculty, research scientists, and software developers from the US and Europe, representing many different projects, so please contact us directly by email if you are interested, and we will include the first person who responds.

Do I have to pay for anything?
You will be reimbursed for all travel-related expenses, and lunch/snacks will be provided at the event.

What is the context of the focus group?
This focus group is part of a series of focus groups funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The process is being facilitated by the University of Michigan's School of Information (UM-SI). The upcoming focus group will be conducted by Katherine Lawrence of the UM-SI and Nancy Wilkins-Diehr of UCSD.

Why am I receiving this invitation?
Basically, we thought that someone who understands what has made the Drupal community a success would offer excellent insights and expertise. It would be most useful if the participant has a basic understanding of how portals and cyberinfrastructure technologies can be used to support distributed or remote work.

What will be done with the focus group results?
The information collected at this and other focus groups will be used to better understand the characteristics of successful science and engineering gateways or portals so that NSF can direct sustained funding more appropriately. We have had many years of experience with science and engineering gateways and have become somewhat frustrated at the limited lifespans we have seen for some projects. We feel there could be a greater impact on science with a more sustained funding program but that it is important to look at characteristics of successful programs when making longer term funding decisions.

Who else will be at the focus group?
The focus group will include researchers from fields funded by the National Science Foundation plus from the humanities and arts. All participants have some connection with a gateway or gateway-type project.

What else do I need to do?
To make this short meeting as productive and engaging as possible, we will ask attendees to answer a brief questionnaire in advance of the meeting. This will help us prepare activities and logistics in advance and will allow participants to efficiently share information with colleagues at the focus group.

Thank you for considering this invitation. Please also feel free to contact us by email or phone with any questions or suggestions you might have on the study. We look forward to including a member of the Drupal community in Chicago!

Sincerely,

Nancy Wilkins-Diehr
Principal Investigator
San Diego Supercomputer Center
University of California, San Diego
wilkinsn@sdsc.edu
858-534-5118

Katherine Lawrence, PhD
School of Information
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
kathla@umich.edu
734-994-7904