eResearch Newsletter November 2023

Dear Alex, here is the National eResearch Newsletter.

Australasian eResearch Newsletter - November 2023

Message from AeRO:

With the Annual Conference now almost a distant memory, it is back to the routine, and as can be seen from this issue of the Australasian eResearch Newsletter, there’s plenty happening in the Sector.

I should remind you that the Conference website will remain intact for the next 6 months, so you can check the program (at https://conference.eresearch.edu.au/program/) and review the abstracts and slides from all sessions. This includes a comprehensive photo gallery (many thanks to Nick Hamilton! - accessible via the link on the Conference home page at https://conference.eresearch.edu.au/).

All abstracts and presenter details will soon be uploaded to Zenodo so that an enduring record (along with DOIs) will be created for all Conference presentations. This has been delayed as Zenodo has recently been upgraded, and the sandbox is rather unstable just now. Watch this space!

It is also very pleasing to see the membership of AeRO grow, now that a new constitution and member model has been put in place. This is beneficial to everyone as AeRO is then better able to speak on behalf of the whole sector. Go to https://aero.edu.au/join/ to join.

Alex Reid, eResearch Newsletter Editor.

CONTENTS:
* National Digital Research Infrastructure Strategy Open for Comment: until 20-Nov.
* ResBaz Queensland 2023: 21 to 23-Nov.
* Pawsey's Exclusive Work Experience Taster! 22-Nov.
* Quantum Exploration on Supercomputer with PennyLane: 28-Nov.
* Tech Talk 24 Cross-Platform GPU Programming: 30-Nov.
* CloudStor Decommission Clinics: final on 30-Nov.
* Pawsey Introduction to OpenMP for CPUs: 8-Dec.
* Unleash GPU Power with OpenMP: 8-Dec.
* QCIF Sponsors Major Supercomputing Conference.
* CSC and NCI Sign MoU to Enhance Collaboration in HPC and Data Management.
* Trainstation: A Unified Virtual Environment for Programming Training.
* Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future Joins NCI’s Flagship Scheme.
* Empowering Research: AI and Advanced Analytics with Intersect’s 3AI Platform.
* NCI Sponsors a Workshop on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Genomics.
* Secure Sensitive Data Platform now Live.
* Windows Available on National GPU Service.
* HeSANDA’s QLD Node for Data Sharing Launched.
* Pawsey Welcomes NCRIS’ $5 Million Grant to Accelerate Quantum Innovation.
* Pawsey Presents: Your Passport to the International HPC Summer School in July 2024.
* HASS and Indigenous Research Data Commons Receives $25 Million.
* New Machine Learning Service for Australian Researchers.

National Digital Research Infrastructure Strategy Open for Comment: until 20-Nov.

The Australian Department of Education has invited feedback on the Draft National Digital Research Infrastructure Strategy (Draft NDRI strategy).

The strategy aims to:

establish a vision for a user-centric Australian NDRI system over the next 10-15 years;
present a high-level strategic direction to steer the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) response to major challenges facing Australia’s NDRI system and users;
guide government investment and decision-making, particularly through NCRIS.

The community is encouraged to provide feedback on the draft NDRI strategy by completing the Department’s questionnaire, by 10am (AEDT) Monday 20 November 2023, at https://www.education.gov.au/national-research-infrastructure/consultations/consultation-ndri-strategy.

Read more: https://ardc.edu.au/article/national-digital-research-infrastructure-strategy-open-for-comment/.

ResBaz Queensland 2023: 21 to 23-Nov

Sponsored by the ARDC, the 2023 Research Bazaar (ResBaz) Queensland is a 3-day community and skills building event for researchers from all disciplines to come together to upskill in next-generation digital research tools and skills.

21 to 23 November, UQ St Lucia.

For more information and to register: https://events.humanitix.com/resbazqld-2023.

Pawsey’s Exclusive Work Experience Taster! 22-Nov

Calling all aspiring minds in Years 10-12!
Dive into the heart of Australia’s largest research supercomputer, Setonix, and unlock the mysteries of quantum computing. Join the Pawsey team for an immersive Work Experience Taster on 22 November from 1:00 pm, at Pawsey Supercomputing Centre, 1 Bryce Avenue, Kensington, WA.

Engage in workshops, activities, and challenges that showcase the diverse world of supercomputing. Gain insights into various career paths and opportunities in the ever-evolving field.

Secure your spot now for this in-person event. Limited spots are available. No cost, just knowledge waiting to be uncovered.

To Register: https://pawsey.org.au/event/pawsey-work-experience-call-for-students-22-november-2023/.

Quantum Exploration on Pawsey’s Setonix Supercomputer with PennyLane: 28-Nov

Join this free, online training on using the Python-based PennyLane software library on Pawsey’s Setonix supercomputer delivered by Xanadu’s Quantum Community Manager, Catalina Albornoz.

Hybrid (Online and 1 Bryce Avenue, Kensington), 28 November 2023, 9:00 am - 11:00 am AWST. Day 2 (30-Nov) is a Q&A and application insights.

This session is part of Pawsey’s quantum series. Express interest in upcoming sessions, including AWS Quantum 101 and AWS Bracket bootcamp.

Who Should Attend? Research Scientists, Data Scientists, and quantum enthusiasts across all domains.
Prerequisites: Basic Python knowledge and a curiosity for quantum computing.

To Register for day 1 visit: https://pawsey.org.au/event/using-pennylane-on-pawseys-setonix-supercomputer/.

Tech Talk 24 Cross-Platform GPU Programming without the Heartburn: 30-Nov

In this talk, Dr Emily Kahl, a research software engineer at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) at the University of Queensland, will provide an overview of recent attempts to overcome this issue in the C++ programming space. It will include the current state of vendor-specific programming models, an overview of some promising frameworks for vendor-agnostic development of GPU-accelerated scientific codes and compare the ease of use, support for tooling and performance of the Kokkos, SYCL and OpenMP programming models.

30 November, 2.00pm AEDT by Zoom.

Other Talks at: http://eresear.ch/techtalk

More details, and to register: https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Feresear.ch%2Ftechtalk&sa=D&source=calendar&usd=2&usg=AOvVaw3hhrUvIMRLLIICl_x3CMy1.

CloudStor Decommission Clinics: final on 30-Nov

This will be the final monthly clinic to help CloudStor users with issues they may be having downloading from their CloudStor drives or deleting their account ahead of the CloudStor decommission on 15 December 2023.

Staff from the AARNet eResearch, CloudStor and Support teams will be present to answer your questions and provide information.

CloudStor Clinics are open to everyone – CloudStor users, IT staff, research support staff and institution/tenant admins, and anyone else who is interested.

The final session is coming up on 30 November 2023 at 1 pm AEDT.

Find out more or register at: https://www.aarnet.edu.au/cloudstor-decommission-clinics.

Pawsey Introduction to OpenMP for CPUs: 8-Dec

Having multiple cores available only speeds your code when you know how to use them. Explore the world of CPU parallelism in this hands-on workshop on OpenMP. Learn to spawn threads, manage data, and execute loops in parallel. Whether you’re a C, C++, or Fortran enthusiast, join us on-site or virtually for this FREE workshop.

Hybrid, 8 December 2023, 8:30 am - 12:00 pm AWST at Pawsey Supercomputing Centre.

Conducted by Dr Ludovic Capelli, a teaching fellow at EPCC, the High-Performance Institute of the University of Edinburgh, UK, and an expert in OpenMP and MPI.

Register now: https://pawsey.org.au/event/introduction-to-openmp-for-cpus/.

Unleash GPU Power with OpenMP: 8-Dec

Learn to offload code execution, manage data, and exploit parallelism on GPUs at this FREE 3-hour workshop organised by Pawsey and delivered by Dr. Ludovic Capelli, a teaching fellow at EPCC, the High-Performance Institute of the University of Edinburgh, UK, dedicated to HPC education. Ludovic is also a member of the OpenMP language committee and MPI forum.

Hybrid, 8 December 2023, 12:45 pm - 4:15 pm AWST at Pawsey Supercomputing Centre.

Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of C/C++ or Fortran.

Register now: https://pawsey.org.au/event/using-openmp-with-gpus/.

QCIF Sponsors Major Supercomputing Conference

The SupercomputingAsia conference is leaving Singapore for the first time in its history and coming to Australia next February.

QCIF has signed on as a bronze sponsor of the event, being held at the International Convention Centre in Sydney across 19–22 February 2024.

“QCIF is delighted to sponsor and participate in SupercomputingAsia 2024,” said QCIF CEO Sach Jayasinghe.

Note that EarlyBird registration closes on 30-Nov, and that submissions close imminently.

Read more: https://www.qcif.edu.au/news/qcif-sponsors-major-supercomputing-conference/.

CSC and NCI Sign MoU to Enhance Collaboration in HPC and Data Management

CSC, the IT Center for Science in Finland, and the National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) representing the Australian National University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a collaborative partnership to develop and facilitate exchange of information in areas of high-performance computing and data management.

Read more here: https://nci.org.au/news-events/news/csc-and-national-computational-infrastructure-nci-australia-sign-memorandum.

Trainstation: A Unified Virtual Environment for Programming Training

Intersect Australia has unveiled “Trainstation” to tackle the challenge of equipping participants in programming language training (Python, R) with the necessary software and data, especially online. Trainstation operates as a single server-managed virtual machine hosted on Nectar. It comes pre-loaded with the essential programming language software and required training data. Each trainee has access to a web-based interface that contains all the necessary software, significantly reducing setup time and effort. This is set to transform the digital research training landscape, ensuring that learners can focus on mastering their programming skills without the hassles of software installation and configuration.

See: https://intersect.org.au/training/about/.

Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future Joins NCI’s Flagship Scheme

Antarctic researchers will have access to cutting-edge AI infrastructure, as part of a new partnership between the National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) and the Australian Research Special Research Initiative ‘Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future’ (SAEF).

Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/SAEFcollaboration.

Empowering Research: AI and Advanced Analytics with Intersect’s 3AI Platform

In late 2022, Intersect established the Advanced Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (3AI) Platform to meet the demand for expertise in data science, artificial intelligence, and advanced analytics. The 3AI Platform spans the entire research workflow, providing scalable and sustainable services, including AI & Data Science ready infrastructure and operations, AI & Data Science application support, and project-based AI & Data Science support. The 3AI Platform is already empowering researchers at UNSW, NSW DPI, UNE, ACU, etc., accelerating data-intensive research and unlocking faster and more impactful research outcomes.

See: https://intersect.org.au/analytics/.

NCI Sponsors a Workshop on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Genomics

NCI sponsored the first series of Indigenous Genomics workshops hosted by Poche SA+NT, Flinders University. This initiative brought together a consortium of genomics experts and leaders across Australia to delve into critical questions surrounding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander genomics data.

Learn more here: https://bit.ly/IndigenousGenomicsWorkshop.

Secure Sensitive Data Platform now Live

KeyPoint, a trusted research environment to analyse and share sensitive research data, is now live.

QCIF is currently hosting active research projects in KeyPoint, onboarding more, and has a pipeline of projects that are planning to use the platform. KeyPoint enables researchers to access, analyse, manage and share sensitive research data in a scalable, fully governed, and highly secure environment, whilst always maintaining full control of their data.

Read more: https://www.qcif.edu.au/news/secure-sensitive-data-platform-now-live/.

Windows Available on National GPU Service

Windows virtual machines are now available on the ARDC Nectar Research Cloud’s National GPU Service, opening up additional analysis options for researchers.

In partnership with the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC), QCIF has enabled Windows Server 2022 to be one of the operating system choices in the graphics processing units (GPU) reservation service via the ARDC Nectar Research Cloud’s user-friendly dashboard. Until now, the National GPU Service supported the Linux operating system only.

Read more: https://www.qcif.edu.au/news/windows-available-on-national-gpu-service/.

HeSANDA’s QLD Node for Data Sharing Launched

Health Translation Queensland (HTQ) officially launched the Health Studies Australian National Data Asset (HeSANDA) Queensland node alongside QCIF on Monday, 23 October.

The HeSANDA Queensland node is a statewide online catalogue that curates and stores research data metadata and enables the sharing of health research data generated by the Queensland research community. It is one of nine nodes of HeSANDA, a national initiative of the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC).

Read more: https://www.qcif.edu.au/news/hesandas-queensland-node-for-data-sharing-launched/.

Pawsey Welcomes NCRIS’ $5 Million Grant to Accelerate Quantum Innovation

Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre has been granted $5 million by the Australian Government Department of Education #NCRISimpact to boost quantum innovation in Australia! This funding will empower us to extend our quantum computing hub, pilot ground-breaking projects, and develop innovative quantum applications. Click the link below to find out more about how Pawsey will be allocating this grant.

Click here to find out more about Pawsey’s NCRIS grant: https://pawsey.org.au/pawsey-welcomes-ncris-5-million-grant-to-accelerate-quantum-innovation/.

Pawsey Presents: Your Passport to the International HPC Summer School in July 2024

Expressions of interest to be part of the 14th International HPC Summer School on Challenges in Computational Sciences (IHPCSS) in Japan are now open.

Australian graduate students and early-career postdocs planning to take on large-scale computations are eligible for this expenses-paid event, which has been held annually since 2010. Via Pawsey’s support, Australia joined the selected group last year. With incredible sessions and valuable networking opportunities, you get to learn from leading computational scientists and HPC technologists from partner countries.

Read about last year’s experience here: https://bit.ly/3scyWF1.

To register your EoI – HPC: https://bit.ly/40mYOuc.

HASS and Indigenous Research Data Commons Receives $25 Million

The ARDC-led Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences and Indigenous Research Data Commons (HASS and Indigenous RDC) has received the largest ever investment in HASS research infrastructure in Australia. The $25 million grant from the Australian Government’s 2023 National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) Funding Round, along with co-investment from national partners, will continue to deliver long-term, enduring national digital research infrastructure to support HASS and Indigenous researchers in Australia.

This grant is in addition to the $8.9 million received from NCRIS to establish the HASS and Indigenous RDC, which was launched in 2021.

Read more: https://ardc.edu.au/article/hass-and-indigenous-research-data-commons-receives-25-million/.

New Machine Learning Service for Australian Researchers

The new MLeRP – developed by Monash University with ARDC co-investment through the National Machine Learning Service project – is now available to Australian researchers to ensure that GPUs can be appropriately utilised and more machine learning users can be accommodated simultaneously on the systems.

The platform combines the interactivity of a notebook and the power of an HPC environment, allowing users to develop and debug their algorithms while processing their dataset.

Read more: https://ardc.edu.au/article/new-machine-learning-service-for-australian-researchers/.

Contributions

This newsletter is based on contributions from members of the eResearch community, and draws on news articles and newsletters published across the sector. The Newsletter is published around the 16th of each month. Please send all contributions (max. 100 words + link + image) or pointers to any other relevant articles or newsletters to editor@aero.edu.au.
Newsletter archives are available at http://aero.edu.au/newsletters/.
Click HERE to subscribe to the eResearch Mailing List.
Thanks, Alex Reid, AeRO Newsletter Editor.

This email was sent to alex.reid@uwa.edu.au
why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
AeRO - Australian eResearch Organisations · Level 5, Axon Building #42 · University of Queensland · St Lucia, QLD 4069 · Australia