Participants work in small groups to document ideas, opinions and challenges. It is a great way to get to know other RSEs, share ideas and have a chance to hear and share your ideas with the RSE community.

This session will be led by Kirsty Pringle from the University of Leeds with additional support from Alison Clarke, Marion Weinzierl and Jonathan Frawley of Durham University.

Working Together in the N8 CIR, led by Kirsty Pringle

There are 8 Universities in the N8 collaboration – each has a different setup and way of working, in addition the RSE community includes both central RSE groups and embedded RSEs in specific departments. N8 CIR aims to build a community of these RSEs, but in the future there could be scope to move beyond community engagement to develop active collaborations. In this session we will discuss ideas for the next step of community development.

Fostering a Community Around Bede, led by Jonathan Frawley

Each institution is providing a 1 FTE of RSE effort to support users on the machine. These RSEs will form the core of a Bede community.

How can N8 CIR help to build this community? What is the best way to communicate? (slack, mailing lists), how can we setup the machine so it is easy for a community to use?

Training for RSEs, led by Marion Weinzierl

RSEs are highly skilled, and many play a central role in training researchers, but typically less focus is on the training that RSEs should receive. RSEs can “fall between the cracks” in terms of training – either because they cannot access many of the courses that are advertised to academics, or simply because there is little awareness of the training required.

N8 CIR could potentially play a role in campaigning for, and providing, training for RSEs.

Inclusivity and Diversity in N8 CIR, led by Alison Clarke

At N8 CIR we are putting together an application to become a Women in HPC chapter, while we hope this will be a positive first step to make sure we build an inclusive and diverse community. A few small things we have arranged:

• Putting together an inclusivity committee to monitor and improve
• Added as a standing item on Steering Group Meetings
• Written Code of Conduct for meetings / training events.

What else would you like to see? How do we ensure that people feel comfortable attending our events? How can we reach out to new communities in an inclusive way?

This event is only open to those working or studying at one of the N8 Universities.