CC*DNI Engineer: CI Engineer to Enhance Collaborative Research

High performance computing, modeling and visualization continue to impact research providing dynamic processes to view and interact with data to define and analyze problems. The Boise State University CyberInfrastructure (CI) Engineer is the technical ambassador to discern the research projects' needs and leverage centralized university cyberinfrastructure - high-performance computers, high-speed networks and visualization equipment. The CI Engineer enhances research productivity by consulting with faculty on optimal methods, software development, and processes at the beginning of proposals and throughout the research projects. The CI Engineer works with network engineers on the separation of the CI tools into a Science DMZ and programs the Software Defined Networking equipment to speed research data transfers between internal and external data nodes. These contributions by the CI Engineer enable utilization of cyberinfrastructure resources to access, analyze, and visualize the data to achieve advances in scientific discovery.

The CI Engineer works to equip a data-science capable workforce, and integrates teaching and research through learning and training. The CI Engineer works directly with graduate and undergraduate students to train and mentor them to gain skills in data management, computational literacy, and parallel computing. To broaden participation in computational sciences, the CI Engineer teams with on- and off-campus research laboratories and key personnel that have a deliberate mission and strong track record of recruiting and involving students underrepresented in science and engineering The CI Engineer broadens research capacity regionally by actively connecting with groups such as the Rocky Mountain Advanced Computer Consortium, Westnet, and XSEDE gatherings.