From KAREN wiki

Contents 1 Contacts 1.1 KAREN champion 1.2 Additional contacts 2 Scion Projects using KAREN 2.1 Organisational Wide Uptake of KAREN 2.2 Experimental Data Transfer 2.3 Scion and High Throughput computing (HPC) 2.4 Linking Science and Education thorugh KAREN 2.5 Establishing a Virtual Collaboration Environment for NZs Gene Mapping Scientists 2.6 Video Conferencing 2.6.1 Some ideas to increase the use of your VC facility

Contacts

KAREN champion

Dr. Julia Charity

• Projects Manager, Bioproducts Research Group
• Email: Julia.charity@scionresearch.com

Scion has appointed Dr. Julia Charity as their KAREN Champion to co-ordinate and progress KAREN activities across the organisation. Julia has 11 years science research experience working in Plant Biotechnology and genetics. She has a credible track record in communication activities through writing articles and giving presentations to interested public during the GE debate. Julia is also developing practical tools to improve dialogue between scientists and Maori alongside the National Advisory Group - Te Aroturuki. Julia will have a key role in implementing the Institutional Capability Build Fund plan to systematically ensure greater awareness and use of KAREN and eResearch tools and techniques across Scion.

Scion Project Plan

Additional contacts

Andrew Dunningham

• Capability Fund Project: Inquiry by Karen
• Email: Andrew.Dunningham@scionresearch.com

Andrew is an experienced researcher at Scion, with a 29 year track record in commercial and FRST funded research. He is a co-developer of the Forests of Life programme and has worked with schools and teachers in the last three years of this project. Professionally he is a Systems analyst, and his focus at Scion has been within the remote sensing, GIS and information systems field, as well as the educational programme development. He will be a key researcher in the MORST funded educational programme (Sci4Life), that will develop an inquiry based educational framework that will be able to be used by all CRI’s to deliver on their educational mandates.

Richard Waldin

• Information Technology Manager
• Email: Richard.Waldin@scionresearch.com

Scion’s IT team is managed by Richard Waldin who has over 20 years experience in IT, including programming, business and system analysis. Richard had a key role in providing the collaborative infrastructure required for Scion’s joint venture with CSIRO in Australia. Richard also led the pilot phase of KAREN implementation at Scion and has phased in use of the KAREN network for data, video and voice communications.

Marcus Boielle supports Richard and the rest of the IT team as the Technical Leader. With 15 years experience, Marcus has technical expertise in networking, server and operating system skills. Marcus has also worked with open source tools and software (eg Linux) and led the technical implementation of Scion’s link to KAREN.

Greg Martin is Scion’s IT Operations Co-ordinator. Although he has only been with Scion seven months, he has 20 years in IT support. Greg has assisted all of Scion’s EVO-registered users and in this proposal will be the first IT support point-of-contact. Recently Vernon Wainohu joined the I.T. team and is the key point of contact for staff to provide support to video conference users.

Scion Projects using KAREN

Organisational Wide Uptake of KAREN

Scion was involved with KAREN during the “Proof of Concept” phase and was able to use the network as soon as it went live. The KAREN network had an immediate impact on our collaborative relationship with CSIRO in Australia allowing the deployment of improved information sharing facilities and providing more reliable communications and higher quality Video Conferencing.

The KAREN network is now core to Scion's networking infrastructure and it supports communications between our main sites in Rotorua and Christchurch. KAREN provided a substitute for commodity broadband, and has now become the preferential route to connect to Australia, the South Island and nearly all Universities in the United States. KAREN has allowed our Scientists to exchange larger datasets quickly and effectively between ourselves and other research groups outside of Scion.

To a certain extent the KAREN network is relatively invisible to may of our Scientists, things just occur faster or the quality of the on-line or communications experience is richer. However there is a growing awareness of the networks presence, and scientists are becoming increasingly tuned to what is possible. The presence of the KAREN network allows Scion to participate in new international collaborations that would have been difficult and perhaps impossible prior to KAREN being available.

Experimental Data Transfer

The KAREN connection has the ability to use, exchange and analysis of big data sets and there is a number of staff at Scion currently interested in the ability to have access to analyse “real-time” data and images (eg Jonathon Harrington’s modelling data and Stefan Hill’s NMR imaging data).

Scion and High Throughput computing (HPC)

One way that Scion can increase its usage of KAREN is to take advantage of the network's ability to transfer large datasets and analyses between organisations. We have been exploring options for the use of supercomputing facilities, both at the National Supercomputer Centre in Wellington and at BlueFern Supercomputer, at the University of Canterbury. Scion scientists have met with staff running BlueFern and to establish how they could make use of supercomputing facilities.

There are at least two promising possibilities that we are exploring further. The first is an investigation of the interaction between cellulose fibre and water, at the molecular level. At the moment Scion is currently modelling that interaction using 100's of atoms, but realistically a model simulation using millions of atoms would give far more insight. This work will only be possible with supercomputing, using KAREN to transmit the data and subsequent analysis.

The second project involves the Virtual Institute of Statistical Genetics and their community of statistical geneticists all around NZ. BlueFern supercomputers have indicated they would be willing to run a training course on supercomputing to train the NZ gene mapping community so that they can better develop and share statistical methods and algorithms for gene mapping data. Early next year MapNet wishes to develop a customised collaboration portal for video conferencing, whiteboarding, data exchange and sharing protocols.

Linking Science and Education thorugh KAREN

Scion's role linking Science and Education through the "Forests for life" programme will be significantly enhanced with expansion of the KAREN network into schools and ability to utilise KAREN and KAREN supported tools to deliver the programme. We are using REANNZ Capbability Build Fund to incorporate KAREN into a Scion educational programme: Forests of life (www.forestsoflife.org), and a new Morst funded programme; Science for life (Sci4life). These programs are cross-curricula and use an inquiry teaching philosophy to integrate technology into science learning. For example, the students collectively or individually undertake their own scientific research supported by a CRI. Sci4Life will develop a model that will be available to all CRI’s, science providers and high schools.

Establishing a Virtual Collaboration Environment for NZs Gene Mapping Scientists

The NZ gene mapping community (MapNet) is currently establishing a Virtual Institute for Statistical Genetics for collectively developing new statistical methods methods for experimental design, analyses, computer-based simulation and prediction tools.

Collaboration between MapNet participants will be made significantly easier and provide faster research delivery by establishing a standardised, easily accessible KAREN-based eResearch environment. This environment will include a customised collaboration portal with functionalities such as video conferencing, whiteboarding, data exchange and sharing protocols. This will also allow MapNet researchers to immediately communicate more effectively, as well as facilitate access to high performance computing (HPC) required for statistical analyses and theory development. The portal will also facilitate training of MapNet researchers in the use of specific gene mapping software, algorithms and HPC access.

Video Conferencing

Scion currently uses KAREN infrastructure to transmit video conferences and seminars (such as for “All Staff” meetings and RSNZ seminar hook-ups).

The Rotorua Video Conference Suite is now fully operational and comprises a High Definition video conference unit connected to the KAREN network. A similar system has been installed Scion's Christchurch Ilam Office. This system can connect to any IP system in the world and in the majority of cases is free. The High Definition display is more suited for sites connected to the KAREN Network however can also cope with slower internet connections.

The facilities available are:-

• Video conference (both point-to-point and multi Site calls)
• Audio conference (including combined video and audio sites)
• In room and Video conference presentations
• External ISDN connections via the KAREN network MCU

We have increased the use of Video Conferencing in Rotorua by:

• Being proactive about promoting the use of VC for seminars, Collaborative/Co-op/National advisory meetings, Student-supervisor relationships, Job interviews, Staff meetings and updates, Training, Demonstrations, and Trouble shooting experiments
• Ensuring the infrastructure is in place by assigning a dedicated room, obtaining commitment from I.T by provision and availability of trained staff, and setting up a booking system and “help” sheets so that users feel supported.
• Using a variety of verbal and written communication strategies (like word-of-mouth, presentations, contribution to monthly reports, wikis etc) to promote the use of Video Conferencing in the organisation.

We are also currently sourcing and testing a number of different web cameras to be used in conjunction with EVO, Murial or skype.

Some ideas to increase the use of your VC facility

• • Seminars: think about audience? Other sites/people interested in attending, make it an option.
  • Collaborative/Co-op/National advisory meetings: Go to research office, find out about key clients, key collaborators, investigate if they have VC facilities. Interview/check with scientists if they would be interested to give it a go. If you have a “room booking” system, scan through and see who is meeting with who, and approach them – would VC be an option? Have a chat with management assistant’s or travel clerks – who is travelling regularly (eg monthly) to where, or who is visiting? Offer alternative to meet as VC.
  • Student-supervisor relationships: Contact payroll/HR for list of all students of campus, go and talk to the students, find out if they would be keen for “trial runs” with their supervisors. Vice versa applies (i.e supervisor on campus, student elsewhere). Could send out survey/email.
  • Job interviews: Talk to HR – phone interviews vs VC interviews, always check VC as a first option.
  • Staff meetings/updates: Think about target staff, do you need to include anyone off-site? Someone on sabbatical, on long-term leave, at a conference, field(?) could they VC into the meeting?
  • Training/Demonstrations/Trouble shooting experiment: Maybe you’ve got experts that need to demonstrate a technique to collaborators – could bring desk-top VC into the lab – cameras positioned while showing technique.

• Communication strategies
  • Word-of-mouth: seems obvious, but if you’ve had a good VC experience, you are more likely to want to try it again and encourage other people to try it. For this to work, there needs to be a positive (fun?) experience. First time users are usually particularly enthusiastic. Need to encourage people to change their mind-set about what is possible. Approach people who you know are using the VC (look at bookings), get their feedback and encourage them to use it again, spread the word.
• Written: monthly reports, internal wikis, KAREN wiki’s, newletters.