2026-01-14 - OpenCI Leadership Meeting Agenda & Summary

Decisions made during the meeting:

Agenda/Notes

1. Most Recent EC Meeting Debrief

   1. https://access-ci.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ACP/pages/1868759041

      1. need to get a schedule together to have slides ready for EAB 1 week in advance - Shannon

      2. need to have all slides ready by the 10th

2. Review Action Items
   ACO Member To Do Items

   1. Open

      

      Data Deserts - does not need to be pursued at this point - ATT-25

3. Select Spotlight Topic for Monday’s NSF meeting

   1. https://access-ci.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ACP/database/1644199966

      1. John will ask Sharon if they want a deeper discussion with the EC about the Priorities

   2. Topic Picked:

      1. Jan 26, 2026

      2. Talk about Lisa’s involvement at Feb Meeting - frame it as please provide feedback in advance

      3. Will not be asking the EC to do homework in advance

      4. Would like to ask the EC to think about things in advance - will give them a paragraph to review

      5. John would like

         1. a frank review of what is heard

         2. question of what is heard and what is shared with NSF needs to be discussed

         3. lessons learned that don’t sound prescriptive

         4. This is for the EC as well as the ACO

         5. Need to make a list of outcomes expected

         6. Could couch as a lessons learned exercise - that goes to NSF and the rest stays with the EC

         7. No exit interviews - we haven’t done them for others which might seem odd - would be too difficult to retain confidentiality

            1. but if they are done - who sees it and what is done with it

         8. Attendance

            1. Regular attendees of the EC or PIs and Co-PIs only. @Shannon Bradley - add to next week’s meeting to confirm

            2. we invite Bruno? Nathan T? - John thinks it would be beneficial for them to be there - it would provide good context

4. Financials - as of the end of November

   1. Assume 2 more quarterly meetings in PY 5 and forecast those

   2. Need a forecast from Lisa for the Feb meeting (this is an additional cost)

   3. Thinking about ways to spend about 600K - April 30, 2027

      1. Can we extend licenses on something we are using after the end of the award? as long as we can show ongoing value to the successor program

      2. Student Training - PSC

         1. PEARC - send more students -

         2. SC - send more students -

         3. International HPC school - this would be 100K+

         4. Research Computing in Smaller Institutions - June

         5. US-RSE - would be in California

         6. Science Gateways - will be in DC

      3. Operations STEP program - you support X people - can we support N more?

      4. Host a community wide activity -

         1. co-located discussion -

            1. lessons learned like CASC?

            2. Lunch Event Current and Past Staff funded on the project? (maybe involve Lisa)

            3. Users of ACCESS services - Town Hall

            4. Staff focused at PEARC - User focused at SC

      5. Swag given to staff?

         1. we cannot spend NSF funds on swag

         2. possibly frame as incentive to gather data for the program? not sure if that will be enough

5. Updates

   1. @John Towns

      1. Quarterly Report

         1. John made a pass this morning - please look for comments

   2. @Chuck P

      1. All the SCs have scheduled report / interaction time now with the EC before the quarterly meeting

      2. we are getting info placed in the EC notes each week now

   3. @majumdar

      1. staff survey came out this morning

   4. @Cindy Wong

      1. External Advisory Board: https://access-ci.atlassian.net/wiki/x/AYCKbw

         1. 3 confirmed in-person members; 2 confirmed for QM attendance

         2. John - Thank you for your Service Email to Vivian

      2. Researcher Advisory Committee; meeting with Bruno next week

         1. Are there topics that ACO would like to share with the ACO?

            1. Share PY5 priorities - Tom Furlani

            2. Extend the User Survey from Comm’s to the RAC

      3. Feb. QM: Agenda Planning Committee

         1. Call for Agenda topics out https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18CkNXNN-l2JIsSK4ZTecj6G6rSa4AKeIxwhJwjqQv_U/edit?usp=sharing (Deadline Friday, Jan. 23)

         2. Amit will be EC-liaison

      4. Evaluations - bi-annual kicks off next week

         1. Staff survey sent - respond by Friday, Jan. 30

         2. Community - in progress; aim to distribute early Feb. (TBC), need to discuss further with SC on layout

         3. RP - aim to distribute end of Jan. (TBConfirmed)

         4. Allocation seat vacant; looking to fill/subaward to Internet2?

   5. @Dina Meek

      1. Shared updates with the EC 1/13:

         1. Comms & Outreach deck

         2. Web & Branding deck

   6. @Kimberly Bruch

      1. absent

   7. @Misha Shah

      1. no updates

   8. @Shannon Bradley

      1. Quarterly Report - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D9cc-dTZb55DN0npMTakmvB-eLWX56PM415MKT05RXE/edit?tab=t.0

      2. Financial Report - need to send info to Dawn/finance

      3. Monthly Reminders - need to add info automated reminder

      4. Planning Feb Meeting

         1. Planning Sheet - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ufIhfLOpaOm8-xmhzITII6lhcBnRHQQ8EZxCSjW6irc/edit?gid=0#gid=0

         2. Planning Agenda - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18CkNXNN-l2JIsSK4ZTecj6G6rSa4AKeIxwhJwjqQv_U/edit?gid=0#gid=0

         3. Confluence Page - https://access-ci.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ACP/pages/1653899266

            1. updated information

            2. added things to do section

         4. Placeholder in Outlook sent out

         5. Hotel Link sent out in email - Tom F confirmed working

         6. Can I use this to update staff lists in Slack, Google and in Atlassian? https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Kpsp1qsWI7PagbqBEkQrC4tNAClVWLp38wxuj9m3Cek/edit?gid=1588497629#gid=1588497629

   9. @Lisa -

      1. see above

Discussion

ACO PY5 Goals and how they align to ACCESS Project Wide Goals - https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1u64T3LsL403A5dLIhlJ_tDf3eRPwRILq/edit?slide=id.p1#slide=id.p1

All Team PY5 Goals https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1GaZUsTTNd3tFdEvEFFGqakaEsyaLW5t6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=117449711423520058174&rtpof=true&sd=true

What does ACO need to do next?

• more detailed version for ACO - ready to go for EAB by Feb 10, 2026

• need done ahead of time - ACO meeting before Feb 4, 2026

Background

• PY5 ACCESS Wide Goals

  1. Improve the user experience (e.g., better user guidance, personalization of the user experience, and better insights through usage analysis, …)

  2. Increase the value delivered to the ACCESS-Allocated Resource Providers (e.g., easier integration processes, simpler and more effective tools, …)

  3. Solidify the programmatic foundation for transitioning to successor awards (e.g., modernizing tools, updating documentation and policies, and improving cross-program operational alignment, capturing lessons learned, …)

  4. Better capture and articulate ACCESS scientific impact (e.g., through publications data, new captured metrics, new analysis of existing data captured, …)
     
     

• ACO

 ACO Connecting to ACCESS Wide Goals

• Continue to improve upon governance structures and processes

  • Refine Standing Committee and Working Groups procedures

  • Improve communication channels between EC & SCs/WGs

• Leverage advisory bodies (EAB, RAC) 

  • Ensure robust communication and integration of feedback from advisory bodies

  • Track and address active EAB and RAC recommendations with the EC

• Engage the community

  • Assessing researcher satisfaction; Enhance survey response rates 

  • Tracking community-building and engagement events across the program

  • Enhance engagement, improve visibility, and ensure strategic communication efforts

• Transition planning and project close-out

  • Transition plan for tools, processes, capabilities that might be transferred to subsequent awardee(s)

  • Prepare for project close out and final reporting

Next Meeting: Jan 21, 2026

Reference

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FFGMv7qdoKtHMy_zyyjFLdBMVmCDJY6QDGXSxp_988I/edit?usp=sharing