Jan. 25, 2023 – The Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation (CASC) has welcomed the newly elected CASC executive committee members to represent 100 of the most forward-thinking research computing and data organizations from academic institutions, national labs, and research centers around the United States.

The new leadership is poised to take action to demonstrate the impact of the CASC network in supporting national competitiveness, global security, economic success, and a diverse and well-prepared 21st century workforce.

CASC’s new leadership will continue to operate as a trusted advisor to federal sponsors and advocate for research computing and data (RCD) investments to support academic research. In addition, the CASC leadership plans to prioritize the following action items:

• Strengthening alliances among members and national partners, both nationally and internationally.
• Broadening the diversity of RCD leaders, especially among under-represented populations and women.
• Supporting members at the institutional level to boost their realm of expertise.

“I’m honored to represent this 30 plus year old organization and I look forward to working with other elected members of the executive committee, our Executive Director and our members to advance our strategic goals,” said James “Jim” Wilgenbusch, newly elected chair of CASC’s executive committee and University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Director of Research Computing.

CASC’s positions committee has allowed the organization to provide pre-RFI input to federal sponsors, set policy direction, and provide a forum for members to articulate obstacles and create strategies. In 2022, a series of reports on top priorities and challenges for the research computing and data (RCD) community detailed cross-cutting recommendations as well as identified top priority areas that represent specific priorities and challenges to address nationally.

CASC holds spring and fall membership meetings, with the next one occurring the week of March 27-30, 2023. At the meetings, program directors from federal sponsors, including the National Science Foundation, US Department of Energy, and the National Institutes of Health, share roadmaps and funding priorities, as well as receive feedback from CASC members.

The spring and fall programs also allow the diverse network of CASC members to benchmark, discuss strategies and best practices, network, identify research computing and solutions, and form collaborations.

“The power of CASC lies in the critical mass of research computing and data leadership and expertise that is maximized to address critical issues,” said Kathryn Kelley, CASC executive director. “CASC serves as a hub dedicated to networking solutions to a series of issues that cause concern for RCD organizations and the researchers who depend on them.”

CASC’s Executive Committee for 2022-23 includes:

• Chair: Jim Wilgenbusch, University of Minnesota
• Vice-Chair: Rich Knepper, Cornell University
• Treasurer: Dave Hart, National Center for Atmospheric Research
• Secretary: Barr von Oehsen, Rutgers University
• Past Chair: Wayne Figurelle, Pennsylvania State University

For more information about CASC, please visit http://casc.org.

About CASC

The Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation (CASC) is an educational nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with 100 member institutions representing many of the nation’s most forward-thinking universities and computing centers. Celebrating more than 30 years of service, CASC is dedicated to advocating the use of the most advanced computing technology to accelerate scientific discovery for national competitiveness, global security, and economic success, as well as develop a diverse and well-prepared 21st century workforce.

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Source: CASC