The Extensible Terascale Facility, or TeraGrid, is the world’s largest, most comprehensive distributed cyberinfrastructure for open scientific research. Through high-performance network connections, TeraGrid integrates high-performance computers, data resources and tools, and high-end experimental facilities around the country.

Aug. 29, 2005 -- Some of this week's stories:

TeraGrid to enhance access for research

By Steve Koppes,
University of Chicago News Office

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $48 million to the University of Chicago over the next five years to operate and expand TeraGrid, a national-scale system of interconnected computers that scientists and engineers are using to solve some of their most challenging problems.

The NSF has concurrently granted another $100 million to the University of Chicago, Argonne and seven other institutions to provide computational, storage, instrument and visualization resources that make up the TeraGrid, along with user support and related services.

TeraGrid is the world's largest open computer, storage and networking system. Only the U.S. Department of Energy's weapons laboratories have larger systems, which are dedicated to classified research.

The TeraGrid team expects the system to affect virtually every scientific discipline that requires intensive computing capabilities, from disease diagnosis and weather forecasting to the study of drug interactions with cancer cells and aircraft design simulation.

The name "TeraGrid" stems from "tera," a prefix meaning "trillion." A terabyte is a trillion bytes, or the digital equivalent of the amount of information that could be printed on the paper made from 50,000 trees.

Overseeing the TeraGrid will be Charlie Catlett, a senior fellow in the Computation Institute, a joint effort between the University of Chicago and Argonne.

One way that TeraGrid is measured is in teraflops: the total number of mathematical operations that can be done in one second, Catlett said. Currently, the TeraGrid's power is just over 60 teraflops. If each of the 300 million people in the United States were to do one calculation per second, it would take them roughly 55 hours to compute as much as the TeraGrid can compute in one second.

"TeraGrid integrates some of the nation's most powerful resources to provide high-capability production services to the scientific community," Catlett said. "This five-year award is really to take the initial TeraGrid system and deepen and evolve its capabilities while continuing to provide a persistent national infrastructure."

The TeraGrid delivered a production system when a coalition of institutions, including the University of Chicago, completed its construction last September. Researchers from Maryland to California already have used the TeraGrid to support their research into projects as wide-ranging as brain imaging of neurological disorders and simulating the evolution of the universe following the big bang.

"TeraGrid unites the scientific and engineering community so that larger, more complex scientific questions can be answered," said Arden Bement, director of the National Science Foundation. "Solving these larger challenges will, in turn, motivate the development of the next generation of cyber infrastructure."

Construction of the TeraGrid, more formally called the Extensible Terascale Facility, began in 2001 with a $53 million NSF grant to four partners: the University of Chicago and Argonne; the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; the San Diego Supercomputer Center at the University of California, San Diego; and the Center for Advanced Computing Research at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

TeraGrid expanded to five partners in 2002 with the addition of the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center. Another four partners were added in 2003: Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee; Purdue University in Indiana; Indiana University, Bloomington; and the Texas Advanced Computing Center at the University of Texas, Austin.

TeraGrid resources at the eight partner sites are interconnected with a dedicated optical network supporting data transfer between TeraGrid sites at 10 to 30 gigabits per second. Today's most advanced Internet backbones run at 10 gigabits per second.

"This grant is about enabling science by advancing and evolving the TeraGrid system, which at the moment has about a thousand users," Catlett said. "We'll grow that number to what we hope will be in the 7,000 to 10,000 range."

Many of these new users will join TeraGrid through 10 science gateways, with funding for their integration coming from the NSF grant. These gateways will allow more researchers and educators access to the TeraGrid in ways tailored to their special needs through their own desktop computers or through advanced Web portals.

For example, part of the $48 million grant to the University of Chicago will support the integration of a biomedical computer database into the TeraGrid. That project will be led by Rick Stevens, Professor in Computer Science at the University of Chicago and Director of the Mathematics and Computer Science Division at Argonne.

Stevens served as project director of TeraGrid during its construction phase, from 2001 to 2004.

The biomedical computer database is called the National Microbial Pathogen Resource Center, which was established in 2004 with an $18 million contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Today approximately 200 scientists use the center to help accelerate their research into the biology and evolution of deadly microorganisms and develop methods for their control.

For more information about TeraGrid, see www.teragrid.org/.

OTT develops new model for nanotechnology

A new business model for the Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM), pioneered by Argonne's Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) and Legal Department, will make it easier for CNM users and Argonne researchers to work together on some kinds of projects.

The business model was developed with the guidance and approval of other U.S. Department of Energy laboratories, DOE's Argonne Area Office, Headquarters Office of General Counsel and Chicago Intellectual Property Office.

The DOE Office of Science wanted a standard set of user agreements across the five DOE nanotechnology science centers, including a new precompetitive collaborative agreement. The office ultimately adapted Argonne's standard proprietary and nonproprietary user agreements for use at all the nanoscience centers.

Legal and OTT were key participants in shaping the new precompetitive collaborative agreement model.

This new agreement allows users and laboratory scientists to work jointly on defined types of projects without needing to obtain specific DOE approval on each agreement. These agreements typically cover basic or fundamental research with no defined product application in mind.

Three types of agreements are possible:

Nonproprietary user agreements, enabling the user to do research on a CNM instrument. There is no charge for access to the instrument; however, the user must publish the results of the work. This agreement is very similar to the existing Advanced Photon Source agreements.

Proprietary user agreements, which enable the user to do research on a CNM instrument and keep the results of the work proprietary. The user must pay full cost recovery for the cost of beam time. This agreement is also very similar to its APS counterpart.

Precompetitive collaborative agreements enable users to take advantage of CNM equipment and collaborate with an Argonne staff member on a project. Projects are limited in scope and funding and cannot be related to product development. The user and the Argonne staff member must publish their results.

OTT and Legal are also developing a fourth agreement model: a DOE advanced-approval short-form CRADA (cooperative research and development agreement). Under this agreement, the Energy Department gives the laboratory advance approval to do specific projects as long as it adheres to certain program criteria spelled out in the master Joint Work Statement.

The model CRADA has been developed, and the related master Joint Work Statement is being redrafted to respond to DOE comments. When the master Joint Work Statement is approved, it will provide a model for collaborative work between laboratory scientists and users without contract term negotiations or DOE approval.

This business model will also be applied to Mathematics and Computer Science Division supercomputing research in the INCITE program.

DOE Headquarters is reviewing the user model agreements and user waiver of inventions. A similar short-form CRADA approach will be adopted for them as well.

Westgate to close daily for reconstruction

The Westgate guard post will undergo reconstruction beginning Monday, Sept. 12. The guard post will be replaced, a canopy will be installed and search lanes will be added.

Traffic flow will be altered during construction. The post will be open for inbound traffic only from 6:15 a.m. to 9 a.m. on weekdays. From 3:30 p.m. until 7:10 p.m. the post will be open for exiting traffic only. No traffic will be allowed through the area between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. These adjustments may be slightly changed during the construction period. Information and detour signs will be posted.

Construction may last six to eight weeks and employees using West Gate Road should stay alert and drive with care while passing through the construction area. Significant delays and congestion can be expected during the project. Employees are urged to use the Eastgate entrance, which is open from 6:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. and from 3: 45 p.m. to 6 p.m., or Northgate, open 24 hours.

Carpool candidates available online

Argonne's online Carpool Connection can help employees find potential commuting partners — the simplest way to use less gasoline.

The Web site generates a list of all employees living in a particular ZIP code, along with phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

The Web site is at www.anl.gov/carpool.html.

Marauders, Swamp Rats play for bragging rights

The undefeated Marauders won the regular season of the Argonne Softball League and played the Swamp Rats in a final tournament game Aug. 10. Argonne Deputy Director Don Joyce was on hand to throw out the first pitch.

The Marauders, sponsored by Papa Passero's Pizza and Instrument Associates, started strong with five runs in the top of the first inning. The Swamp Rats, sponsored by Turnabout Pizza, answered with four runs in their half of the first, another run in the 3rd, and a pair of runs in each of the next three innings.

The Marauders staged a rally in the top of the 7th, but the Swamp Rats shut them down after scoring only two runs to win the tournament. The Swamp Rats defeated the Marauders by a score of 11-7

The annual tournament is separate from league play, where the Marauders enjoyed an undefeated season 16-0 to win the Dick Kash Memorial Trophy for 2005. The Predators had the second-best record in the regular season, at 13-3.

The tournament is a way of giving a chance to win to another team that may have fallen short during the season, said league president Mike Jagger (PHY).

"It's basically for bragging rights through a long winter," Jagger said.

Jagger credited the successful season to a competitive group of teams, the local businesses that sponsor them, and the support of the laboratory.

"(PFS Associate Division Director) Rab Moholtra helped in a big way by getting the infields resurfaced at the end of last year," Jagger said, "and Chief Operations Officer Adam Cohen helped open the fields so our families and friends could watch the games. Earl Powell (PFS) and his grounds crews did an awesome job of keeping the park in great shape."

Employees asked to review conduct policy

All employees are asked to review the laboratory's Statement of Conduct policy annually, to certify their understanding of the statement and to identify any financial or personal interests required to be disclosed to the laboratory.

Employees should take a few minutes to review the Statement of Conduct policy, and then complete and submit the online Employee Certification Form. Follow the steps shown below.

Access the Statement of Conduct Web site from Inside Argonne at inside.anl.gov/resources/statement_conduct/.

Click "Online Statement of Conduct - Employee Certification Form" to access the online certification form. Log on using your standard Argonne domain account.

Click "Create New Certification" in the blue box on the upper left screen.

After reviewing the Statement of Conduct policy, either check the box certifying no conflicts of interest with the laboratory, or summarize existing or potential conflicts of interest along with suggested measures to eliminate, resolve or manage the conflict. If the conflict of interest is the same as last year, copy and paste (and edit as necessary) last year's management plan.

Submit the form electronically for management approval, or save the work as a draft and come back to it later.

Online instructions for completing the Statement of Conduct - Employee Certification Form can be viewed by clicking "Help" in the application. To obtain approval for outside employment or consulting, complete the online ANL-135 form.

Employees with questions about potential conflicts of interest can call the Legal Department at ext. 2-3040. Those who have difficulty accessing the Statement of Conduct Web site can call the CIS Help Desk at ext. 2-9999 or Human Resources at ext. 2-2960.

Workshop to focus on cross-cultural communication

A Sept. 15 workshop on cross-cultural communication will explore how forms of communication vary from culture to culture — knowledge that can help employees in Argonne's diverse workforce increase successful communication and decrease misunderstanding.

There is no cost to attend the workshop, "Cross Cultural Communication," which is sponsored by Human Resources.

Presented by Bernd Widdig, associate director of the MIT International Science and Technology Initiative, the workshop will discuss the connection between culture and communication. Examples from particular countries will illustrate how a culture's fundamental beliefs and assumptions affect communication patterns and styles. Best practices for effective intercultural communication and suggestions for how participants can learn more will be interwoven into the discussion.

Widdig has been team-teaching a course on cross-cultural communication at MIT for the last three years. He frequently holds workshops on this topic in academic and corporate settings in the United States and Germany.

Contact your Training Management System representative to enroll. Two sessions are scheduled: from 1-2 p.m. or 3-4 p.m. in the Building 203 Auditorium. Call HR Performance Development at ext. 2-3410 for more information.

Retirement vendors to visit

Argonne's retirement vendors will send representatives to the laboratory to meet with employees and answer questions about their retirement plans and assets. To schedule an appointment, call the number listed. Appointments are for one-half hour each.

For Appointments, call:

Fidelity — Tuesday, Sept. 6, and Tuesday, Sept. 20. Call the appointment desk at (800) 642-7131.

TIAA-CREF — Thursday, Sept. 1 and Friday, Sept. 2. Call the appointment desk at (800) 842-2005 or www.tiaa-cref.org/moc .

Prudential — Wednesday, Sept. 7 and 21(Morning only) Call Cheryl at (630) 285-8876.

Town Hall rescheduled

The Town Hall Meeting originally scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 18, has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Sept 21. The one-hour meeting will begin at 11 a.m. in Building 202, Room B169.

Chief Operations Officer Adam Cohen and Remy Evard, director of Computing and Instrumentation Solutions, will co-host. The meeting will focus on information technology at Argonne.

Tech writing class focuses on non-native speakers

There are still a few spots open in "Technical Writing Skills for English as a Second Language" (HR300), a class sponsored by Human Resources - Performance Development.

This hands-on workshop and writing lab will be held on Thursdays from Sept. 29 - Dec. 8, from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., in Building 201, Room 167C.

Non-native speakers will improve their technical writing skills with a focus on scientific and engineering staff.

Technical writing requires precision, style and accuracy whether publishing articles on research, writing feasibility studies or drafting specifications. In this course, participants focus on:

Writing effective summaries and abstracts

Producing the rhetorical formats for publishing, abstracts, articles and reports

Writing instructions, definitions and process descriptions

Maintaining coherence and clarity in technical writing and writing in general

The class costs $300. Register by Monday, Aug. 29. To enroll, contact a Training Management System representative and complete the online enrollment form. Call Betty Iwan at ext. 2-3410 for more information.

Guest House shrimp boil set for Thursdays

The Argonne Guest House will offer a Shrimp Boil on Thursdays during September, starting Thursday, Sept. 8.

The menu will include:

"All you can eat" peel and eat shrimp, $7.99

Grilled Caribbean shrimp - $ 7.99

Hanger steak salad - $7.99

Corona beer-battered shrimp wrapper - $5.99

Fried shrimp - $7.99
There will be no shrimp boil Thursday, Sept. 22, due to a special function.

Environmental management training offered by EQO

Information on Argonne's Environmental Management System and applicable regulations are now available through a Web-based training course (ESH-300). The training is recommended for all employees.

Federal agencies and their contractors must have an approved Environmental Management System, or EMS, in place by Dec. 31. The Argonne EMS is in the process of demonstrating that it meets all the applicable requirements so that it can be certified by the deadline.

The laboratory's EMS is an important facet of the Integrated Safety Management System. An EMS ensures that all environmental issues are systematically identified, controlled and monitored. It provides mechanisms for responding to changing environmental conditions and requirements, reporting on environmental performance and reinforcing continual improvement. Critical components of an EMS are a strong environmental policy, an aggressive compliance monitoring program and an active pollution prevention program. Argonne has established all these components.

In practice, the EMS environmental aspects are applied as an integral part of the `safety' considerations in the Integrated Safety Management System review of program planning. Planning to manage the potential impacts of air and water releases, disposal of waste and other potential environmental effects is evaluated using the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process.

Pollution prevention is an essential element of Argonne's mission and EMS. The goal is a systems approach that integrates pollution prevention and waste minimization, resource conservation, recycling and affirmative procurement into all planning and decision making at Argonne.

For more information, contact an environmental compliance representative or EMS Program Manager Norbert Golchert (EQO), at ext. 2-3912.

Holiday to change news deadline

Due to the Labor Day holiday, all news items, seminar listings and classified ads for the Monday, Sept. 12, issue of Argonne News must be received by Friday, Sept. 2, at noon.

Effective parenting topic of seminar

"Effective Parenting" will be the subject of a seminar at noon Wednesday, Sept. 7, in Building 201, Conference Room 190 A and B.

Michael Trapp of the CIGNA Employee Assistance Program will discuss effective parenting for ages 2 - 12. Employees will learn the message behind misbehavior and effective ways of handling the important relationships with their children.

To register, contact the Medical Department at ext 2-2800.