Here is my summary of visit to ASC last week. It was encouraging for me as I for 
first time understood how I personally, and more generally Universities could be involved 
in a way where we add unique value. I suggest that it would be interesting to see if the 
ASC approach can be evolved into a common theme (at least as far as Syracuse is 
concerned) for all three centers. It seems to me that CEWES directions are consistent with 
ASC ideas. Comments are welcome. Note I am scheduled to visit CEWES at the end of 
February and this could be a time for discussions.

ASC Summary:
We are being encouraged to push DoD rather than be pulled by them. Although 
we need to deliver on “real projects”, we should establish a set of strategic 
themes/directions (the vision of PET) in which specific projects can be set. An 
operational criterion for scope of a particular strategic vision is that it allow one to hire an 
individual into the area defined by scope and expect them to be able to work projects 
within area. So HPCC is too broad a scope and Image Processing libraries for Paragon 
too narrow!
Note that ASC views CRPC as an entity and so we should coordinate the three 
sites Rice Syracuse Tennessee.
We identified five strategic areas described below. The first two are in some sense 
already in place – we spent most time on the last three.
1) Programming Tool Evaluation and Development
2) Software Library and Dissemination – NHSE applied to Shared Resource Centers
3) Interoperable Front Ends – Here we discussed client software using Web 
Technology (Java wrappers) to hide varying details of HPCC resources from user. 
The so-called VPL (Virtual Programming Laboratory) developed by Syracuse and 
Cornell is an example of this.
4) Curricula Development – Here we agreed that DoD needs education as well as the 
more focused training but that job and fiscal realities imply that few personnel 
will be able to take traditional University degrees. We discussed the “scalable 
PET certificate” idea with certification of knowledge by a body of experts for 
curricula of varying length from one day to typical masters degree(10-12 semester 
courses). Working through local Universities could be important.
5) Asynchronous Learning – Here we discussed “education on demand” with DoD 
personnel wanting to take classes when they can and not at regular times. A set of 
experiments was suggested. Cornell, NCSA, NCSU and Syracuse (and others) 
have relevant technology.