ACCESS (Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem: Services and Support) has opened nominations for the ACCESS External Advisory Board (EAB). The EAB is an essential element of the ACCESS governance structure, ensuring that the program benefits by input and feedback from a diverse and wide range of community stakeholders and experts. “Coordination of production-quality services to science and engineering researchers and educators across the nation will rely heavily on guidance from the EAB.” said Tom Gulbransen, the NSF Program Officer. 

ACCESS is a five-year program that will improve the accessibility of national cyberinfrastructure centers and increase integration with systems and research communities on campuses across the nation. ACCESS entered formal service operations on September 1, 2022. Details on the ACCESS program are available at: https://access-ci.org

The EAB is chartered by the ACCESS Executive Council, which comprises the principal investigators of the individual ACCESS Service Track awards. The EAB provides expert advice and feedback to the EC on the range of topics relevant for the success of the ACCESS program. These include, but are not limited to:

• Providing feedback and input to ACCESS annual program plans 
• Reviewing proposed changes to initiatives from individual ACCESS Service Tracks 
• Providing feedback on draft annual reports and other written documents, data, or survey results 
• Making recommendations to the EC as it navigates its role to serve the evolving CI ecosystem over the life of the ACCESS program
• Giving insights into emerging programs, leadership, and trends that may guide program-wide innovation

ACCESS seeks the widest possible range of input and we encourage a balanced membership with diverse viewpoints, diverse demographic backgrounds, and those at various points in their careers.

John Towns, PI for the ACCESS Coordination Office, which facilitates governance for the ACCESS Service Tracks.

Nominees are sought from a wide range of areas, including but not limited to:

• Science and engineering research
• Community engagement and communications
• Workforce development (both in the research community and among CI professionals)
• Computational science
• Approaches to improving equity, diversity, and inclusion
• Development of CI software, services, and other capabilities 
• Large-scale CI systems and service programs
• Project governance
• Academia, Industry and Government Sectors 

The EAB will have 11 members. Nine of these will be selected through this nomination process. One will be a representative from the ACCESS Resource Provider (RP) Forum, and one will be a member of the ACCESS Researcher Advisory Committee (RAC).

EAB members serve a two-year term and commit to attending 4 meetings per year, 3 of which will be held remotely, and one in person. Remote meetings are typically 2 hours in length. Travel stipends are available for the in-person meeting. The ACCESS ACO is mindful of the valuable time of the EAB members and will provide administrative and logistics support for the preparation and conduct of EAB meetings.

Individuals may nominate themselves and/or offer the name of others who may be interested. In the case of nominating others, ACCESS staff will follow-up with the recommended individual to confirm their interest and have them submit an application on their behalf. Instructions for submitting nominations are available on our nomination form at: https://forms.gle/f5YRXVwrms8rKpoV7

Nominations are accepted through 5pm PDT, on November 6, 2022. Questions about this should be directed to info@access-ci.org