IU selected as home for US Desk of international scientific computing publication
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 28, 2012
BLOOMINGTON and INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Indiana University has been selected as the new home for the US Desk Editor of the online publication International Science Grid this Week (iSGTW: ), supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
- Amber Harmon
iSGTW is a weekly publication that covers worldwide scientific research enabled by distributed computing, such as grid and cloud technologies. With editorial desks in Europe and the US, iSGTW highlights state-of-the-art resources that facilitate and accelerate scientific research in a range of fields. In April 2005, the publication got its start as Science Grid This Week. In November 2006, it broadened its scope to become iSGTW, extending its reach to over 192 countries and territories.
"Distributed computing is instrumental to scientific research, from explorations of new life-saving drugs to modeling severe weather and climate change," said Matt Link, director of High Performance Systems at IU and principal investigator on the grant. "IU is deeply involved in distributed computing projects - such as Open Science Grid and XSEDE - that are advancing science and changing lives. iSGTW tells those stories in a way that appeals to both technical and general audiences."
The US Desk Editor will work on the IUPUI campus as part of the IT Communications Office, under the IU Office of the Vice President for Information Technology and CIO. Though based at IU, the editor will impartially report on computing-enabled research across the US. The ultimate goals of the position are to raise awareness of advanced high performance computing and to provide informal education to the public, as well as scientific and legislative communities.
"IU not only has a long history of involvement and leadership in computing initiatives, but also is home to an IT Communications Office experienced in research and writing on topics related to distributed computing," said Ruth Pordes, associate head of the Computing Sector at Fermilab and chair of the governing council of the Open Science Grid. "The OSG is pleased to see the US editorship of iSGTW continue into the future and we believe IU will prove an excellent home for the US Desk Editor."
Starting in mid-November, Amber Harmon will fill the US Desk Editor position. A longtime employee of IU's University Information Technology Services (UITS), Harmon holds a BS in Computer Information Technology from IUPUI's Purdue School of Engineering and Technology. Harmon's technical and project management backgrounds, paired with her writing and photography skills and curiosity about all manners of scientific and technical research, make her an ideal fit for the role.
If you have story ideas, calendar events, or news items related to scientific distributed computing, please contact the iSGTW editors at