UC San Diego CyberLink April 2012
Stay in touch with CI-related news & events with UC San Diego CyberLink!
San Diego, April 13, 2012 -- UC San Diego CyberLink is a monthly digest of news and events related to cyberinfrastructure from San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2), Jacobs School of Engineering, UC San Diego Libraries, Administrative Computing & Telecommunications (ACT), and Center for Research in Biological Structures (CRBS). If you have news regarding cyberinfrastructure-related research, applications, or activities on the UC San Diego campus, please send them to cyberlink@sdsc.edu. This is the April edition of CyberLink:
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LATEST NEWS...
Chronopolis Earns High Marks as "Trustworthy Digital Repository" in CRL TRAC Audit
The Center for Research Libraries (CRL) has certified Chronopolis, a large-scale data preservation network, as a "trustworthy digital repository" that meets accepted best practices in the management of digital repositories. Chronopolis is led by the UC San Diego Libraries and SDSC, with partners at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the University of Maryland's Institute for Advanced Computer Studies.
First Phase of InterDigital-Calit2 Innovation Challenge a Success
The wireless innovation competition draws entries from 15 top-tier universities in U.S., Canada, who will now compete for the popular vote and a spot in the final round. Participants are vying for $175,000 in awards.
New Service Helps Travelers Brave Long Wait Times at U.S. Border Crossings
Calit2 has launched a new website and Android app that offer travelers and truckers a way to estimate the best day of the week, and best time of day, to cross the border from Mexico or Canada into the U.S. by car, truck, or on foot. The free service builds on Calit2's existing mobile services that help commuters monitor traffic conditions on California roadways.
Researcher Affiliate with Calit2 and SDSC Urges "Big Data" Donations of Health Data
UC San Diego Biomedical Informatics chief Lucila Ohno-Machado proposes that patients could donate data like they donate tissue or organs, with informed consent. The researcher affiliated with Calit2 and SDSC was speaking at a Big Data conference in D.C., on a panel moderated by New York Times' Steve Lohr.
Information Visualization as a Research Method in Art History
Visual Arts professor Lev Manovich, who leads the Calit2-based Software Studies Initiative, co-chaired a session of the 100th College Art Association (CAA). Powerpoint slides for his presentation "Information Visualization as a Research Method in Art History" can be viewed online.
Silicon Wafer-Scale 110 GHz Phased Array Transmitter with Record Performance
Engineers at TowerJazz and the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering have demonstrated the first wafer-scale phased array with 16 different antenna elements operating at 110 GHz frequency range. The device targets applications for automotive radar, aerospace and defense, passive imaging, security, and mmWave imaging.
Global Manhunt Pushes Limits of Social Mobilization
Using social networks and mainstream media, an international team of researchers, including UC San Diego computer scientist Manuel Cebrian, has won a seemingly impossible challenge: tracking down a group of "suspects" in a jewel heist on two continents in five different cities, within just 12 hours.
UC San Diego Researcher Takes Home Top Prize at AT&T App Hackathon
Neuroscience researcher Dave Deriso led a team from the Calit2-based Machine Perception Laboratory to victory in the AT&T Mobile App Hackathon in San Diego. The team's app, dubbed "StayFit," uses the accelerometer embedded in most mobile smartphones to help physical therapists remotely monitor their patients as they perform exercises prescribed for physical recovery.
Ortiva Wireless and Mushroom Networks Celebrated
Sujit Dey and Rene Cruz, the electrical engineering professors who helped found Ortiva Wireless and Mushroom Networks, respectively, took part in a celebration of entrepreneurial success stories – Jacobs School spinouts that received assistance from the von Liebig Entrepreneurism Center.
SDSC Graduate Student Awarded NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship
Benjamin Madej, a graduate student with SDSC's Walker Molecular Dynamics laboratory, is a recipient of the 2012-2013 NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship Program award for his innovative molecular dynamics research using GPU (graphics processing unit) computing.
SDSC's "Big Data" Expertise Aiding Genomics Research
SDSC has in the last three years undergone a major reboot, remaking itself into a center of expertise on all aspects of "big data" research including genomics, one of the fastest growing areas of scientific study.
For Fifth Year in a Row, Calit2 Honored with CENIC Innovations in Networking Award
A major Mexican/American advanced network project led on the U.S. side by Calit2 has been honored by the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) as recipients of the 2012 Innovations in Networking Awards for High-Performance Research Applications. They were cited for the role networking plays in enabling scientific and educational collaboration across the U.S.-Mexican border.
Calit2 to Join Forces with Quantified Self to Advance Digital Health
Cyberinfrastructure will play a key role in a new partnership between Calit2 and Quantified Self, an international collaboration of more than 7,500 "self-trackers" who record and monitor personal data using a combination of low-tech and high-tech tools and devices.
ACT Newsletter
Administrative Computing & Telecommunications (ACT) recently published their Spring 2012 Newsletter, highlighting achievements in responsive design as seen in the new campus website, development of an online membership management application, network security firewall initiatives, and network cabling for critical endeavors such as the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine. To learn more about projects, events and ACT, view the newsletter in PDF format.
Six Big Name Schools with Big Data Programs
The news portal behind HPCwire and other industry newsletters has selected UC San Diego as one of six "big name" schools with Big Data programs. The website notes a certificate program in data mining through UC San Diego Extension taught by SDSC's Natasha Balac, as well as "specific courses that cover data mining for scientific applications, a thorough overview of the R statistical programming language, a course on predictive analytics, a SAS crash-course and a course covering text mining."
eGrades
ACT partnered with the Registrar's Office and others to automate student grading. The solution, eGrades, allows instructors to submit or change final grades for students in their courses, streamlines the business process and enables students to access their grades sooner. Campus-wide use begins with Spring 2012 grading.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR...
...for these upcoming cyberinfrastructure-connected events and training sessions. All events will be held at UC San Diego (except where noted otherwise):
Wednesdays, April 11, 18, 25, May 2, 9, 16, 23. 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM
San Diego County Office of Education, Joe Rindone Regional Technology Center
6401 Linda Vista Road, San Diego, CA 92111
TeacherTech Computer Science Workshops for High School Educators
High school educators are invited to attend a special TeacherTECH workshop series focused on AP Computer Science Principles and bringing computer science principles into the classroom. Seven informative sessions of hands-on learning are being presented by Beth Simon, Director of the Center for Teaching Development at UC San Diego. Registration is free. Space is limited. Please contact Ange Mason at 858-534-5064 or amason@ucsd.edu to reserve your space. If responding by email, please indicate your school affiliation.
April 13, 1 – 2 p.m., Calit2 Auditorium, Atkinson Hall
Calit2 Monthly Tour
Free tour of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology at UC San Diego. Calit2 is a multidisciplinary research institute designed to drive innovation and economic development in San Diego and beyond. Located in Atkinson Hall, Calit2 features state-of-the-art labs and dynamic project space to encourage new ideas and collaboration with both academic and industry partners.
April 13, 4 – 6:30 p.m., Calit2 Auditorium, Atkinson Hall
Mechanotransduction in Endothelial Cells: Feedback Control of Intracellular Mechanics
UCSD Bioengineering professor Shu Chien will deliver the Richard Skalak Memorial Lecture. Chien was a long-time collaborator of Skalak's, and both left Columbia University to become members of UCSD's nascent Bioengineering program in 1988. In 2011 Chien received the National Medal of Science from President Obama.
April 28, 9 AM – 3 PM, SDSC Training Room
UCSD Middle School Computer Science Workshop: Introduction to MIT's SCRATCH
SCRATCH is a fun, interactive visual computer programming language for students, developed at MIT to introduce secondary school students to computer science and technology. SCRATCH is free, and easily installed on either Macintosh or Windows computers. Middle-school students are invited to attend this session to make animations, create characters, build a simple video game, and share work with SCRATCH'S online community. Registration is $20, paid at the door. Space is limited. To register or for more information, please contact Ange Mason at amason@ucsd.edu.
May 4, All Day, Calit2 Auditorium, Atkinson Hall
CWC Spring Research Review
Interested researchers are welcome to attend the Center for Wireless Communications (CWC) Research Review. In addition to project reviews and overviews by UCSD and Calit2 faculty, the review will include presentations by two industry member: Amitava Ghosh from Nokia Siemens Networks will discuss what's "Beyond 4G," and Verizon's Chris Neisinger will focus on "Application Aware Wireless Networks."
May 8 – 9, San Jose, CA
Workshop on Big Data Benchmarking
The Workshop on Big Data Benchmarking is a first important step toward the development of a set of benchmarks for providing objective measures of the effectiveness of hardware and software systems dealing with big data applications. The invitation-only workshop will assemble experts from industry and academia with backgrounds in big data, database systems, benchmarking and system performance, cloud storage and computing, and related areas.
May 9, 3 – 4 PM, Geisel Library, Room 274
June 15, 10 – 11 AM, Biomedical Library Computer Classroom
Data Management Plan Workshop -- Writing Data Management Plans for NSF Grant Applications
Learn the basics of how to write Data Management Plans (DMPs) for your NSF grant applications. Discover resources available to help you develop and execute your DMPs. This workshop will describe NSF-recommended components of a DMP and introduce you to data management services and tools currently available for UCSD researchers. Limit 20 people per workshop.
May 17, 9 AM – Noon, SDSC Conference Room E144
Gordon 101: An introduction to using SDSC's Appro Gordon Compute Cluster
This three-hour workshop provides all of the basics for getting started with the Gordon Compute Cluster. Discussion includes a description of Gordon's systems and capabilities, submitting and monitoring jobs, and a demonstration showing how to use the flash drives, either as scratch space or for staging repeatedly accessed data. The workshop is available to participants on-site and remotely through ReadyTalk. Register by May 7th through Open Registration.
May 21 – 24, Calit2 Auditorium, Atkinson Hall
6th International Conference on Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare
PervasiveHealth is a premier international forum with specific focus on technologies and human factors related to the use of ubiquitous computing in healthcare and well being. It will provide researchers, practitioners, application developers, vendors and users a high-end forum to present, share and discuss the latest findings. UCLA Computer Science professor Deborah Estrin will keynote the event.
June through August, SDSC Room 279 East (location may vary)
Middle and High School Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math Summer Workshops
SDSC TeacherTECH program is offering a range of workshops for middle and high school students. Topics include animation creation, programming, app development, geoscience, computer security, game development, and more. Click on the link for full details and sign-up forms.
July 9 – 20, SDSC
2012 UC-HiPACC International Summer School on AstroComputing
SDSC and UC's High-Performance AstroComputing Center (UC-HiPACC) will host a two-week summer school designed to help the next generation of astronomers manage the ever-increasing amount of data generated by new instruments and digital sky surveys. More than 40 graduate students will be participating in the program.
August 6 – 10, SDSC
Save the date for the 2012 SDSC Summer Institute!
This year SDSC will be expanding upon its successful Gordon Summer Institute program to include both the Gordon and Trestles supercomputers. Data intensive computing will be the focus, with topics that include overviews of the two systems, presentations on database and data mining applications, the use of vSMP (virtual symmetric multiprocessing) for large memory applications, I/O optimization, science gateways, and more. Ample hands-on labs will give attendees the opportunity to experiment with these systems using their own applications. Registration will open in May, with more details to be announced at that time.