Research Computing Support (RCS)

Introduction
Medical College of Georgia, as a University System research university (http://www.mcg.edu/about/) is committed to be a leading center of excellence in research through the generation and application of biomedical knowledge and technology to human health and disease and to play an expanding role in the transfer of technology to the health care delivery system.

Focus within Information Technology Support and Services (ITSS) as an integral part of MCG is expanding to supporting interdisciplinary and scientific research areas. Research Computing Support (RCS) group has been established with the mission to enhance the capacity for research technology support; develop, establish, and coordinate customer-focused support strategies for building a strong research infrastructure of advanced computing resources and services and to assist researchers in determining data management solutions.

Purpose
The Research Computing Support group acts as a liaison between MCG research community and ITSS, providing technical support and consulting services on a wide variety of issues ranging from high performance computing, data storage, software implementation and licensing, to research collaboration using advanced technologies.

RCS will also act as a liaison to external initiatives and resources such as Southern Light Rail (SLR), SURAGrid, InCommon, Internet2, Georgia Cyberinfrastructure Alliance, statewide and national supercomputing and research centers.

Services
Researchers should be free to focus their efforts on the discovery and dissemination of knowledge, not evaluating hardware and software tradeoffs, or devising methods to interact with increasingly complex-data sets. Research Computing Support group will facilitate the need of researchers for access to:

• Professional Technical Assistance, Programming and Database Support - personnel, who could provide advice, guidance and direct support for the effective use of research software, advanced programming techniques and methodologies, development of large databases and information repositories, software implementation and application hosting services
• Data Storage - Many researchers desire access to a well-managed, large-capacity storage infrastructure for archiving data. This infrastructure is available on limited basis to provide primary-file storage, data-sharing services, and short-term backup storage. If needed, individual groups, departments, or academic units could add storage capacity to this infrastructure to augment their evolving needs. System administration is provided by ITSS.
• Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery for Research – analysis and consultation services for the use of best practices in storing and protecting research data.
• High Performance Computing – analysis and consultation on HPC locally and through affiliations with statewide and national supercomputing sites.
• Videoconferencing Software – MCG faculty, staff and students now have access to a new video communication service: MCG Video Conferencing. The technology allows person-to-person video conversations and group meetings using a video-conferencing device or PC (with special software and a Web cam). Users simply dial up and log in from their offices, classrooms, conference rooms or home. Applications include distance learning, standard meetings, recorded trainings and more. Basic features include person-to-person meetings. Intermediate and advanced features include business messaging, icon cues, digital recording, streaming to Web, instant access to recorded meetings and conference roll call locking.
• Southern Light Rail – High speed dedicated fiber optic access through National Lambda Rail (NLR) to the Georgia Research Alliance universities, other universities in the Southern region of the United States and governmental and private sector organizations involved in university research initiatives. SLR will reach out to facilitate dark fiber connectivity to the Southern universities and research centers.
• Hardware and Software Purchase Consultation - provide advice on equipment purchases based on the requirements of your research and the size of the user group. This includes getting quotes from vendors, help with preparing the technical specifications for RFPs and ensuring compliance with the proposal requirements of the granting agencies.
• Collaboration Tools – available tools such as Instant Messenger, RSS feeds through MyMCG, which let users subscribe to the information they need. Soon to become available software tools that function as real-time virtual workspaces, such as private workplace wikis (searchable, archival able sites that allow groups of users to comment on and edit one another's work in real time); blogs (chronicles of thoughts and interests, federated identity (to enable cross-institutional collaboration and access to research information and data) and others.

Contact us:

Alma Novakovic, , 706-721-9620
Manager, Research Computing Support

Onley Howser, , 706-721-4238
Director of Infrastructure Services