**Educator/Researcher: Jeff Woodford

jwoodford@missouriwestern.edu
Missouri Western State University
Timezone: Central U.S.

Associate Professor
B.S., Carnegie Mellon
Ph.D., University of Nebraska
https://www.missouriwestern.edu/chemistry/facultystaff/

Interview was conducted on Tuesday 2/11 10:30-11:30 am

Via sign up form:

Please describe your experience with supercomputing
I've used supercomputers, but not regularly

Are you familiar with the U.S. National Science Foundation's ACCESS program?
I don't use ACCESS but have heard of it

Via pre-survey:

How should we address you?
Jeff

Please describe your experience using advanced research computing?
Decent amount of experience with using HPC that I have direct access to, not much experience with using ACCESS or other remote systems.

If you've used ACCESS, what allocation level did you start with?
Explore

What have you used or hope to use the ACCESS website to do?
Got an allocation

Remind us what your role is, as it applies to working with ACCESS:
Educator (answered Researcher 2nd time)

What is your research domain?
Computational chemistry

What courses do you teach?
No answer

What is advanced research computing is your resource particularly well suited for?
No answer

Who are your stakeholders?
No answer

What one thing do you appreciate most about the program?
I have used the website very little.

What one thing would you change about the program?
I don't understand how credits translate into CPU resources.

Interview guide:

60–90 minute interview. Each task will take approximately 5-10 minutes.

• Login, introductions, set up screen share, record to cloud, click transcript, at end of interview save transcript

We ask that you “talk aloud” as you are completing your task – telling us what you are thinking about and looking for as you complete your task. Begin here:

https://access-ci.org/

Jeff got an allocation and then it expired.

• Task 1: Where would you go to find out what type of research is being conducted using ACCESS? Is your institution’s area of research/study/classroom activity represented on the ACCESS website?

  Probably would Google the answer. Not sure. Goes to About. Does not see anything. Uses search term “research on access-ci” within Google. Lands on: https://access-ci.org/get-started/for-researchers/
  
  Tried Search and got a 504 error.
  
  Then goes to News, but really doesn’t know how to find out what type of research is being done using ACCESS.
  
  
  

• Task 2: Where can you find information specifically targeted for you (as an educator or researcher)?
  First goes to Support. Website is very slow. Then finds the yellow box “Find info for you”
  
  And goes to For Researchers. Then goes to Resources.
  
  Interviewer asks Jeff to go back to For Educators. Opens “How can I use ACCESS in my classroom?” Comments doesn’t know much about Science Gateways. Clicks on link to learn more about Science Gateways.
  
  Notes that “resources” is not just “educational” resources, but computer resources.
  
  Then clicks on “Current ACCESS projects”. Here is where he learns about other research projects being done.
  
  
  
  

• Task 3: Are you eligible to use ACCESS? Where can you find eligibility requirements?
  On For Researchers he finds “eligibility” quick link.
  
  His first allocation was 2 years ago. “I hang out with supercomputer people. I had heard XSEDE is now ACCESS and it is easy to login and create an account.”
  
  He got a login and an allocation. Remembers writing a brief summary and then getting credits, but did not know what to do with credits or how to request resources. Moved on to something else and forgot about this. Did not know what to do next.
  
  CHE230013: Multireference Calculations on Saturated Organic Cyclic Molecules
  
  Notes that the Resource page is greatly improved since two years ago. Ends up on Allocations from “Get Started with ACES”. Begins to see more information on how to start a project. Finds Exchange Calculator. Begins to understand if he had a 1,000 ACCESS credits how much that gets him on various resources – 1,000 Purdue Anvil CPU vs 15 Purdue Anvil GPU – and why 8,015 Georgia Tech Cluster? Comments is this a bad computer? 1 core hour does that equal 1 credit?
  
  Begins to compare various computers on the Resource page and tries to run some calculations. Can’t find Georgia Tech on Resources page.
  
  NOTE: User did not know what to do with the credits. Never had a prompt how to pick resource and take the next step.
  
  Would login page have prompted the user to add a resource.
  
  Dense information on ACCESS content. Consider bullet points.
  
  

• Task 4: Find information about the cost to use ACCESS.
  Knew it is free because it is NSF supported… looks at About, but then goes to Resources and see “no cost”,
  
  
  

• Task 5: What is an ACCESS resource? Where can you find the type of resources that are available through ACCESS? How would you select an ACCESS resource?
  On the Resource page finds “Get Suggestions” and starts to fill out Resource Advisor.
  
  Gets results Bridges (more ram more popular), Expanse, Delta. Find this helpful encouraging.
  
  NOTE: Libraries is mispelled on the ACCESS Resource Advisor form.
  
  
  

• Task 6: What is an allocation? What types of allocation projects can you apply for? How do they differ from one another?
  Understands Allocations and understands there are different project types. Goes to Allocations, Get Started, Project Types.
  
  
  

• Task 7: Where would you go to find the definition of an unfamiliar term or phrase used in ACCESS?
  Would go to Search. Laughed about BOT and would not use. I hate BOTs.
  NOTE: Pretty consistently users ignore the BOT on the search page.
  
  

• Task 8: Where can you go for help to use the ACCESS system? Where can you go to open a help ticket?
  Goes to search for help, looking for a help ticket, but system too slow and gives up.
  
  

• Task 9: If you want to get involved and volunteer with the ACCESS community where would you go?
  Interview notes here
  About, sounds good, but have not
  
  

• Task 10: What’s the first step to get started using ACCESS?
  I would tell people to go to the home page and figure it out.
  
  

• Task 11: Where can you find information about citing ACCESS in your publications?
  Interview notes here
  
  

• Task 12: Where do you go to find Systems Status?
  No clear way to find Systems Status. Goes to Resources, then ACES. Not successful.
  
  Interviewer says go back to For Researchers and then they see the Systems Status link.
  
  NOTE: Add Systems Status/Operations button.
  
  
  
  More experienced user questions:
  
  

• Task 13: Do you know what the XDMod tool is used for and how to find it?
  
  Heard about it. Knows sysadmin people use it.
  
  XD Mod currently
  
  
  

• Task 14: Can you find what resources are running PyTorch?
  Interview notes here
  
  

• Task 15: Can you find a resource that runs ACCESS On-Demand?
  Open on Demand applied to ACCESS, googled Open On Demand (knows about this)
  Interview notes here
  
  

• Task 16: Can you find an Affinity Group for FABRIC users?
  Interview notes here
  Thinks they saw , about , get involved, resource
  
  

• Task 17: Where can you go for training to use ANVIL?
  Interview notes here
  
  

• Task 18: Can you find how to get started with ACCESS MATCH services to help you with your research project?
  Interview notes here
  Match program, mentoring Match, professor request
  Would like ti jbiw giw ti set up group projects. Data privacy issues. What happens to
  Your boss what happens to the data they put on the systems.
  They want to challenge public
  Get around poliices.
  
  Looking for policy
  
  

• Task 19: Please review this page and suggest any additions or deletions.
  https://access-ci.org/get-started/for-researchers/
  https://access-ci.org/get-started/for-educators/
  Interview notes here
  
  

• Task 20: [Educator] Do you understand that ACCESS resources can be used in the classroom as a training tool, not just for research projects?
  For an educator who has used ACCESS: What was your timeline to get an ACCESS resource ready for use in your classroom activities? Would you be willing to lead up an ACCESS educators affinity group?
  Account in May June
  Mess around, then implement
  For fall semester
  
  Need Educators
  
  [Researcher] How did you determine if the available ACCESS resources can support your research? Are you planning to use ACCESS resources again?
  Probably, more focused time.
  
  
  

• Wrap up, thank you, at end of interview save transcript