1. The Reasons Why the
Science Gateways Community
Needs an Institute
Sandra Gesing
sandra.gesing@nd.edu
http://sandra-gesing.com/
17 June, 2022
IWSG 2022 Workshop
14th International Workshop on Science Gateways
15th-17th June 2022, Trento, Italy

2. Science
Gateways

3. Science
Gateways
It’s a
Science
Gateway
It’s a
Research
Portal
It’s a
Collaboratory
It’s a
Cyber-
infrastructure
It’s
a Virtual
Research
Environment
It’s a
Virtual
Lab

4. Terms Matter
in Community
Building
• Feeling addressed and included
• Feeling belonging to a community
• Useful concept behind term

5. Terms Matter
in Community
Building
• Feeling addressed and included
• Belonging to a community
• Useful concept behind term
Science Gateways are a community-specific set of tools,
applications, and data collections that are integrated
together via a Web portal or a desktop application,
providing access to resources and services of Distributed
Computing Infrastructures (DCIs). Nowadays, computing
resources that may be used in Science Gateways go
beyond the usual Grid. Computing resources such as the
hybrid Cloud (Cloud, Fog, Edge), the Internet of Things
(IoT) and various off-the-shelf methods of Artificial
Intelligence (AI) may be readily used for scientific
applications. Additionally, technologies such as Blockchain
and Smart Contracts may be used for secure aggregation
of resources for scientific work at an unprecedented large
scale.
https://iwsgateways.github.io/iwsg2022/

6. Terms Matter
in Community
Building
• Feeling addressed and included
• Belonging to a community
• Useful concept behind term
Science gateways are online interfaces
that give researchers, educators, and
students easy access to shared
resources that are specific to a science
discipline.
https://sciencegateways.org/about

7. Terms Matter
in Community
Building
Research Data Alliance
• Over 11,000 individual members from 145
countries
• Multidisciplinary
Virtual Research Environment Interest Group
(VRE-IG) - about 160 members
• Descriptions all include VREs, Science
Gateways, Virtual Labs
• Approved 2016
• In 2018 still this (5 plenary session
meetings):
https://www.rd-alliance.org/groups/vre-ig.html
“Similarities between VRE/VL/SG -
recurring theme - what is the difference.”
https://rd-alliance.org/ig-virtual-research-environment-vre-ig-rda-11th-plenary-meeting

8. Science
Gateways
Community –
Heterogeneous
and
Multidisciplinary
Researchers and Educators
Knowledge
and
Experience
• Beginners to
experts in
research domains
and in
computational
science
Research
Domains
• Science domains such
as biology,chemistry,
physics etc.
• Arts
• Humanities
• Technology
• Engineering
• Mathematics
• Business
• …

9. Science Gateway Creators and Providers
Science
Gateways
Community –
Heterogeneous
and
Multidisciplinary With subcommunities such as

10. HPC Specialists
Some science gateways need
people with knowledge about how
to access HPC resources, VMs,
containerization, distributed data
management…

11. Digital Librarians
Some science gateways need
people with knowledge about data
preservation, data lifecycle, and
with programming skills…

12. Data Scientists
Some science gateways need
people with knowledge about
machine learning, meta-data,
ontologies, statistics…

13. Business
Specialists
Some science gateways need
people with knowledge about
project management,
marketing, outreach…

14. Users of well-maintained
science gateways
Users of ramping-down
science gateways
Users of not-maintained
science gateways
Users of
Science
Gateways

15. HUBzero instances world wide
HUBzero users world wide
Lessons learned:
Approaches should be
technology agnostic, using APIs
and standard web technologies
OR deliver a complete solution
Community Engagement is key
• Widely used complete frameworks (HUBzero, Galaxy, etc.)
• Reference frameworks (PITHIA-NRF, ELKH Cloud, etc.)
• RESTful APIs and support of multiple programming languages in widely used
frameworks (Apache Airavata, TAPIS, etc.)
• Reused interface implementations (CIPRES, etc.)
• Science gateways as a service with provision of hardware in the background
(SciGap, etc.)
Science Gateway Technologies

16. HUBzero
• Open source platform
• Development
• Hosting services
• 60+ Hubs
• 2 million visitors worldwide
Gesing, S. et al. "HUBzero®: Novel Concepts Applied to Established Computing Infrastructures to Address
Communities’ Needs" PEARC '19: Proceedings of the Practice and Experience in Advanced Research Computing on
Rise of the Machines (learning), Chicago, IL, 2019, July 28 - August 1, 2019

17. HUBzero
History:
Operating
Model Path
1996
PUNCH
(precursor
to
nanoHUB)
2002
NSF
funding for
nanoHUB
2007
Spin-out of
HUBzero
from
nanoHUB
2015
Diversifi-
cation,
self-funded
sustain-
ability
2019
Move from
Purdue to
San Diego
Supercomp
uter Center
(SDSC)

18. HUBzero
History:
Key Team
Enablers
1996
Vision
(Mark
Lundstrom)
2002
Vertical
Expansion
(Gerhard
Klimeck)
2007
Horizontal
Expansion
(Michael
McLennan)
2015
Business
Transition
(Michael
Zentner)
2019
Move
(Michael
Zentner)

19. HUBzero
• Open source platform
• Development
• Hosting services
• 60+ Hubs
• 2 million visitors worldwide
Worldwide nanoHUB activity over a 24-hour period

20. HUBzero
• Open source platform
• Development
• Hosting services
• 60+ Hubs
• 2 million visitors worldwide

21. HUBzero
• Open source platform
• Development
• Hosting services
• 60+ Hubs
• 2 million visitors worldwide

22. HUBzero
• Open source platform
• Development
• Hosting services
• 60+ Hubs
• 2 million visitors worldwide

23. HUBzero
• Open source platform
• Development
• Hosting services
• 60+ Hubs
• 2 million visitors worldwide
MyGeoHub
This hub supports the geospatial modeling, data analysis and visualization
needs of the broad research and education communities.

24. HUBzero
• Open source platform
• Development
• Hosting services
• 60+ Hubs
• 2 million visitors worldwide
MyGeoHub
Simple-G-US and SWATShare via GABBs

25. HUBzero
• Build communities
• Use & Publish tools
• Jupyter Notebooks
• Linux Apps
• RStudio
• Web Apps
NOT reinventing the wheel
• Publish Research

26. HUBzero
• Build communities
• Use & Publish tools
• Jupyter Notebooks
• Linux Apps
• RStudio
• Web Apps
NOT reinventing the wheel
Getting new features more
easily
• Publish Research

27. HUBzero in 2022 • Over 20 full time software professionals
specializing in:
• Cybersecurity
• Web programming
• User experience design
• Scientific application development
• Analytics
• Middleware
• High performance computing
• System administration
• Customer service
• Entirely self funded
Even with success we
must continue to innovate
new business models,
partnerships, delivery
capabilities, and service
architectures and
continue to address
additional research
domains.
Commuity Building: Top-Down Approach via project team

28. YOU ARE NOT
ALONE!
https://sciencegateways.org/
Longer term
support engagements
Diverse expertise
on demand
Software and visibility
for gateways
Information exchange
in a community
environment
Student opportunities and
more stable career paths
Gesing, S., Wilkins-Diehr, N., Dahan, M., Lawrence, K., Zentner, M., Pierce, M., Hayden, L.B., and Marru, S.
"Science Gateways: The Long Road to the Birth of an Institute" Proc. of HICSS-50 (50th Hawaii International
Conference on System Sciences), 4-7 January 2017, Hilton Waikoloa, HI, USA, http://hdl.handle.net/10125/41919

29. • Hands-on Development Support
• Usability Design / Analysis
• Operations & Sustainability Advice from Consultants
• Cybersecurity Consulting
• Catalog of Gateways & Software
• Website Resources & Materials
• Webinar Series
• Gateway Focus Week
• Student-focused Internship and
Hackathon Programs
• Certificate / Educational
Programs
• Partner Program
• Affiliates Program
• Ambassador Programs
• Blog, News & Job Postings
• Community Forum
• Annual Conference
• Outreach
Commuity Building: Top-Down Approach via institute

30. • 2016 San Diego
• 2 days
• over 120 participants
• 2017 Ann Arbor
• 3 days
• over 100 participants
• 2018 Austin
• 3 days
• over 110 participants
• 2019 San Diego
• 3 days
• over 120 participants
• 2020 Virtual
• 2 weeks
• over 220 participants
• Keynotes, talks,
tutorials, open space,
posters
• Keynotes, talks, panels,
tutorials, workshops, learning labs,
posters
Proceedings and Special Issue (except for 2021)
• 2021 Virtual (free)
• 3 days
• Over 260 registrants/
176 participants
• 2022 two events
• Mini Gateways (3 days, 178 registrants)
• Gateways upcoming in October in
San Diego
Gateways Conference
80%-90% computational scientists

31. Fast-growing
Multidisciplinary
Communities -
FAIR
Bridging the Gap to Data and Software Sharing

32. • RDA FAIR Interest/Working Groups
• FAIR4RS
• FAIR for VREs
• Open Science Graphs and FAIR Data
• FAIR Principles for Research Hardware
• …
• GO FAIR
• GO FAIR International Support and
Coordination Office (GFISCO)
• GO FAIR Austria
• GO FAIR Brazil
• GO FAIR Denmark
• GO FAIR France
• GO FAIR Germany
• GO FAIR US
• European Commission Expert Group on
FAIR Data
https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/turning_fair_into_realit
y_0.pdf
Fast-growing
Multidisciplinary
Communities -
FAIR

33. https://direct.mit.edu/dint/article/2/1-2/139/10001/Growing-the-
FAIR-Community-at-the-Intersection-of
Fast-growing
Multidisciplinary
Communities -
FAIR

34. Fast-growing
Multidisciplinary
Communities - AI
Google vs. Amazon vs. Microsoft vs. Facebook –
Who is leading the AI race?
• The number of jobs requiring AI skills has
increased 4.5x times as of 2013. (Forbes)
• 50% of all online searches will be voice searches
by 2020. (Campaign)
• Intelligent Chatbots are anticipated to reduce
business costs by $8 billion by 2022. (Impactbnd)
• 30% of companies will be using AI in at least one
of their sales processes by 2020. (Venture
Harbour)
• The growth of virtual assistants is expected to
reach $15.79 billion by 2021. (ValueWalk)
• A recent McKinsey report found that AI will
generate revenue of more than $ 10 trillion in
GDP by 2030.(McKinsey)
• 85% pioneers have expressed an urgent need for
an AI strategy while 90% say they already have an
AI strategy in place. (MITSloanReview)
https://medium.com/@springboard_ind/google-vs-amazon-vs-microsoft-vs-
facebook-who-is-leading-the-ai-race-9e9cefbc5c45

35. https://aiforgood.itu.int/action-oriented-community-building-
scaling-ai-as-a-force-for-good/
Fast-growing
Multidisciplinary
Communities - AI
“From a yearly physical event in Geneva,
Switzerland, we have become a virtual channel
– always available all year long. We’ve built a
60,000-strong community from over 170
countries.”

36. https://aiforgood.itu.int/action-oriented-community-building-
scaling-ai-as-a-force-for-good/
Fast-growing
Multidisciplinary
Communities - AI
“From a yearly physical event in Geneva,
Switzerland, we have become a virtual channel
– always available all year long. We’ve built a
60,000-strong community from over 170
countries.”

37. Movement and Term: Born in the UK
• 2012 SSI’s Collaborations Workshop -
“Research Software Engineer”
• Late 2013 UKRSE Association forms
• Since 2019 Society of Research Software
Engineering
Fast-growing
Multidisciplinary
Communities -
RSEs

38. More countries followed the concept
• Australia/New Zealand
• Belgium
• Germany
• The Netherlands
• Nordic
Fast-growing
Multidisciplinary
Communities -
RSEs

39. • US: Winter 2017-2018
• US Survey of RSEs: ~175 responses
• 12 responded with interest to build a
national community
• UK Sponsored 1st International RSE Leaders
Meeting
• 5 US delegates
• Jan-Feb 2018: US-RSE Slack workspace and
first website go live
• Building of steering committee
Fast-growing
Multidisciplinary
Communities -
RSEs

40. • Newsletters
• Community calls
• Working groups
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Website
• Education and Training
• Outreach
• Website
• Workshops
Fast-growing
Multidisciplinary
Communities -
RSEs

41. Changing
Academic
Culture
Katz, D. S., McInnes, L.C., Bernholdt, D.E., Mayes, A.C., Hong, N.P.C, Duckles, J., Gesing, S., Heroux, M.A., Hettrick,
S., Jimenez, R.C., Pierce, M., Weaver, B. and Wilkins-Diehr, N. Community Organizations: Changing the Culture in
Which Research Software Is Developed and Sustained. Computing in Science & Engineering,
Science gateway creators and RSEs
• Appreciation in academia
• Incentives beyond the classical academic
rewarding system
• Career paths

42. Growing the
Science Gateways
Community
The combination of grass-root and
top-down seems to work well.
How can we do this for the science
gateway community?

43. Growing the
Science Gateways
Community
Roles in the community or institute
• Community manager
• Logistics such as conference
organization
• Outreach
• Steering committee
• Vision and mission
• Deciders
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer
• Working groups
• Focus on specific tasks with
deliverables
• …

44. Growing the
Science Gateways
Community

45. Growing the
Science Gateways
Community
Activities beyond the “usual”
• AI community was successful with
matchmaking of mentors and
mentees or peers for a topic
• Working groups are successful with
well-defined timelines
• Leaders network
• …

46. Growing the
Science Gateways
Community
What would help your direct connected
science gateways community beyond
funding?

47. Acknowledgements
PresQT
CUE4CHNG VisDict
My colleagues and collaborators

48. Sandra Gesing
Thanks!
sandra.gesing@nd.edu
http://sandra-gesing.com/