Cybera News December 2009

Q&A With Cybera's New CEO - Robin Winsor

Cybera is pleased to announce the appointment of Robin Winsor as President and CEO. Winsor, a Calgary entrepreneur with nearly 20 years experience in the private sector, joins the organization following Brian Unger who was appointed Interim President and CEO by Cybera’s Board of Directors in May 2009. Winsor brings a strong background of experience in sectors such as oil and gas, seismic, geophysics, and medical science. While he could speak for hours on any number of interesting topics, Winsor recently took the time to answer a few questions about his vision for Cybera and the future of cyberinfrastructure.

Q: What experience and knowledge do you bring to Cybera?
A: As an entrepreneur who has gone through the process of taking a good idea from the basement to the market, I have a strong understanding of the technology-commercialization side of business. Right now Cybera is engaged primarily in pilot projects, and while these certainly play an important role, if we continue to only demonstrate these technologies without fully integrating them into the infrastructure, then the projects haven’t really achieved their full potential. I understand the hard work behind the technology-commercialization process, and how to get a technology to become part of the infrastructure of people’s daily lives. Cybera exists in essence to enhance the ability of researchers in Alberta to do cutting edge work, and we strive to make technologies available to them so that their work and the cyberinfrastructure can become part of the fabric of society.

Q: How would you define cyberinfrastructure in your own words?
A: Cyberinfrastructure (CI) to me is far more than just hardware; it's more than networks, more than supercomputers – all of those things are components of CI, but CI is really about workflow and access: the underpinning to the various computing tasks that we all do without even thinking. Infrastructure exists when access to the computing system becomes ubiquitous: when everyone who needs to access a service can just go to access points in their home, their place of business, or their vehicle, and just access it. When we stop thinking about what we are doing and the service is just there for us, that’s infrastructure. If Cybera’s goal is to be pervasive and ubiquitous then we must develop partnerships with all types of organizations. If, for example, we limit our partnerships to the academic world, although CI will be pervasive in that sphere we won’t have reached industry. To achieve this goal, we must address all of our stakeholders, and that means industry and academia and for that matter the general public.

Q: What are you looking forward to the most in your new role?
A: I am looking forward to a number of things. I am a real science and technology keener, and so I find researching in a wide variety of fields and working with people on absolutely fascinating things like space weather and earth monitoring systems to be very exciting. In terms of Cybera itself, I see a real opportunity for the company to expand and become an influencer and enabler for CI growth across the province. This great combination gets me very excited, and I’m just itching to get things started.

Read the full press release of Robin Winsor's appointment here.
 

Network News - What's New With CyberaNet

CyberaNet Now Open To Commercial Traffic

CyberaNet network access is now open for business. Cybera has made a large investment in  fiber infrastructure that opens up CyberaNet network access to now include commercial traffic. In the past, Cybera’s fiber contracts facilitated research and development work by academia only. This new contract will supply unrestricted access for academic and industry partners to use CyberaNet's Calgary-Edmonton and Calgary-Lethbridge networks over the next three years. Cybera’s unique ability to connect commercial businesses to the CANARIE network – the national research and education network - is an important part of advancing Alberta’s competitive advantage. Providing this service not only lessens the huge expense that high-speed data transfer can entail, but also enables Alberta’s research and development teams to contribute to projects across the country. For more information on CyberaNet and/or to inquire about accessing the network, please contact Patrick Mann, Cybera Chief Technology Officer.

GeoChronos On Tour

The last few months have been busy ones for the GeoChronos project's development team. GeoChronos technical lead Cameron Kiddle presented and gave a demo of the project and the portal at SC09 in Portland on November 18th. SC is recognized globally as the premier international conference on High Performance Computing (HPC), networking, storage and analysis. The GeoChronos presentation reflects the interest and importance of this project as a leading HPC scientific and technical application. On December 9, GeoChronos administrator Nayden Markatchev presented a paper on cloud-based Interactive Application Service at the e-Science 09 conference in Oxford, UK. The conference serves as a forum to share the results of the latest research and product/tool developments in e-Science and to highlight related activities from around the world. It was an excellent opportunity to showcase to an international audience the innovative applications being developed by the GeoChronos team. GeoChronos has also presented a paper at the American Geophysical Union's Fall Meeting, December 14 -18 in San Francisco. The meeting drew a crowd of over 16,000 geophysicists from around the world, as researchers, teachers, students, and consultants present and gathered to review the latest issues affecting the Earth, the planets, and their environments in space.
 

Cybera Annual General Meeting Recap

New Board Members; ISAC Recommendations

Cybera’s Annual General Meeting took place on November 26, 2009. Cybera welcomes the induction of Dr. Trevor Davis (pictured left) to Cybera’s Board of Directors. Davis is the Associate Vice-President of Research at Mount Royal University. His primary research is in the Geographic Information Science field - specifically on managing uncertainty in large spatial databases. Davis also has a strong interest in studying spatial data as a driver in societal change.
Also during the AGM, Brian Unger, Chair of Cybera's International Strategic Advisory Committee (ISAC), presented recommendations and cyberinfrastructure priorities identified by the ISAC at their meeting during Summit 09 in October. Comprised of a diverse international body of academics, researchers, and industry leaders, the ISAC provides strategic advice and direction to Cybera. Among the ISAC's recommendations were that Cybera become a preferred provider of and expert in Alberta cyberinfrastructure services. This entails providing advanced computing services, web services and delivery, and cyberinfrastructure platforms that are vendor and technology neutral. Cybera’s renewed fiber contract with TELUS is one way that this recommendation is already being carried out, allowing unrestricted access to the CyberaNet high-speed network.
The ISAC further recommended Cybera strive to become an expert through the continuous innovation of key areas, including data management, web services and delivery, and grid and cloud computing, to name a few. Expertise lies in the cultivation of internal skills and the ability to implement technologies in new and innovative ways. The development of relationships with Advanced Education and Technology's Alberta Innovates companies will enhance Cybera’s capacity for collaborative networking while also extending services across the province. This will entail partnerships with organizations working in the areas of energy and environment, and rural health monitoring and services. Additionally, Cybera will pursue opportunities that enhance strategic WestGrid tools; develop cyberinfrastructure education and training at different educational stages; and extend data management and archiving services to researchers in universities, industry, and the government.
 

World-Class Chairs To Lead Alberta Innovates

The Alberta Government will commence the realignment of provincially funded research and innovation organizations, resulting in the appointment of five new agencies that will replace ten former agencies as of January 1, 2010. This change is a direct result of the Alberta Research and Innovation Act, proposed to better align resources, making the system more responsive to researchers and entrepreneurs, more accountable to Alberta taxpayers, and more competitive in the global economy.

The following leaders will guide the new agencies as chairs of the boards of directors:

• Alberta Innovates - Bio Solutions
  Art Froehlich, Partner and Strategic Advisor, AdFarm
• Alberta Innovates - Energy and Environment Solutions
  Eric Newell, Chancellor Emeritus, University of Alberta
• Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions
  Robert A. Seidel, Q.C., National Managing Partner, Davis LLP
• Alberta Innovates - Technology Futures
  Ron Triffo, Chair, Stantec Inc.
• Alberta Research and Innovation Authority
  Dr. Marvin Fritzler, Arthritis Society Research Chair, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary

“We’re delighted with the caliber of people who will take the Alberta Innovates system forward,” said Doug Horner, Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. “The knowledge and expertise among them is exactly what our partners, within our borders and internationally, are looking for. Their teamwork is going to make the Alberta Innovates system stronger than ever before, which will make Alberta itself more competitive on the global stage.”
A stronger and more aligned provincial research and innovation system will enable the system to focus on Alberta’s strategic priorities, and be proactive in delivering on those priorities. As a result, Alberta Innovates will contribute to The Way Forward, the Government of Alberta’s plan for a strong economic recovery, which includes ensuring that our province's industries are competitive and continue to attract investment to provide jobs and prosperity. Read the full press release here.
 

Words from our Members

Mount Royal University
One of Canada’s oldest post-secondary institutions has becomes one of Calgary's newest undergraduate schools. Founded in 1910, Mount Royal College received permission from the Government of Alberta in September 2009 to change its name to Mount Royal University. Although our name has changed, there is no change in Mount Royal’s focus on the success of the 13,000 students who study here every year. Some 400 full-time tenured and tenure track faculty from every discipline share a passion for teaching that is informed by leading-edge scholarship. Smaller classes; highly-qualified faculty who know students by name; personalized student support services; a single-minded dedication to premier undergraduate learning — all remain distinctive elements of the Mount Royal University experience.
The change in our name does reflect a significant shift towards increasing both capacity and research activities at Mount Royal. The majority of our faculty now have 'research' as a significant part of their jobs. Over the past two years, we have seen roughly a six-fold increase in projects, with more on the horizon. Last year, we hired 80 new faculty; almost all are experienced researchers or fresh out of PhDs — and this alone has led to significant changes in culture. These changes in culture mean you can expect to see far more of Mount Royal's 'research side' in coming years. Still, the fact that faculty research projects are evaluated, in part, in terms of their impact on students and the classroom illustrates how Mount Royal remains fundamentally committed to teaching and the student experience.
Another illustration of this is that undergraduate students are encouraged to take active roles in faculty research projects and many faculty bring their own research into the classroom. Research at Mount Royal University seeks to create knowledge that benefits society. Areas of research excellence include the scholarship of teaching and learning. Currently, a number of cutting-edge teaching tools and advanced technology-based solutions are being studied and evaluated. One example is “Student Engagement and Web2.0: What’s the connection?,” a research project analyzing the effectiveness of five different collaborative technologies as tools in the classroom. As well, Mount Royal is home to the Institute for Nonprofit Studies, a leader in research on the governance and sustainability of  Canada's nonprofit sector and in the analysis of nonprofit policy.
Other areas of research excellence are health and wellness, community based research and criminal justice. In our Criminal Justice Lab, faculty study patterns of crime occurrence using spatial analysis, and delve into specific issues faced by police and prisons.
 

Cybera Staff Changes 

Alexis Milinusic has joined Cybera’s Edmonton office as Communications Officer, replacing Amanda Debenham who is on maternity leave for the year. Alexis’ background is in professional communications, and her research areas include organizational culture, corporate social responsibility, and communication for social change and development. Cybera would also like to thank thank Angela Kouritzin for her work in Edmonton in the areas of Project and Partnership Development; as well as Kim Wagstaff, former Cyberinfrastructure Academic Coordinator, for his work at the University of Calgary. Both Angela and Kim have moved on to pursue other ventures.
 

Summit 09 - A Success To Build On