MERIF: A Forum for CISE-supported Midscale Experimental Research Infrastructure projects Projects

计算机和网络系统研究界认识到在高度分散的中型实验研究基础设施(MERI)上进行可验证、可重复的大规模实验研究的重要性。在过去十年中，计算机与信息科学与工程总局(CEISE)支持了多个研究基础设施项目，包括全球网络调查环境(GENI)，以及包括CloudLab和ChameleonCloud在内的NSF未来云项目。随着跨越提供补充服务的多个基础设施的实验的设想，MERI项目支持变革性研究的潜力越来越大。这些实验对每个基础设施提出了新的要求，以协调开发和实施公共协议和接口，以支持实验人员的互操作性和易用性。该项目寻求创建一个社区领导的研究协调实体，称为MERI论坛(MERIF)，以帮助实现这些目标。MERIF将召集CEISE研究基础设施开发社区、实验者和其他关键利益攸关方就MERI开发进行沟通、合作和协作。该项目有6项主要职责：1.促进MERIF项目的联合和协调，以促进和简化项目的使用；2.支持教育和外联，以便在学术课程中整合利用MERIF项目资源的多样性，包括供服务不足的人群使用；3.主办研讨会，侧重于未来国家计算结构的中型基础设施解决方案，以便能够对未来的网络和计算结构进行研究实验；4.定期召开研究界会议，以确定MERI研究用户的需求；5.接触领域科学界，以确定和启动MERI项目和大型科学和工程项目之间的互利合作；以及6.邀请大学领导层提高认识并帮助支持MERIF项目。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The computer and networking systems research communities recognize the importance of conducting verifiable, repeatable experimental research at scale on highly decentralized Midscale Experimental Research Infrastructures (MERI). In the past decade the Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE) has supported multiple research infrastructure projects, including the Global Environment for Network Investigations (GENI), and NSF Future Cloud projects including CloudLab and ChameleonCloud. The potential of MERI projects to support transformative research grows as experiments are envisioned that span multiple infrastructures providing complementary services. These experiments place new demands on each infrastructure to coordinate development and implement common protocols and interfaces to support interoperability and ease-of-use by experimenters.This project seeks to create a community-led research coordination entity known as the MERI Forum (MERIF) to help achieve these objectives. MERIF will convene the CISE research infrastructure development community, experimenters, and other key stakeholders to communicate, cooperate and collaborate on MERI development. The project embarks with 6 primary responsibilities:1. Advancing the Federation and Harmonization of MERIF projects to enable and simplify their use;2. supporting Education and Outreach to integrate the use of the diversity of MERIF project resources in academic courses, including use by underserved populations;3. hosting workshops to focus on midscale infrastructure solutions for a future national computation fabric that enables research experimentation into future networking and computing architectures;4. convening regular research community meetings to identify the needs of MERI research users;5. reaching out to domain science communities to identity and initiate mutually beneficial collaborations between MERI projects and large-scale science and engineering projects; and6. engaging university Leadership to increase awareness and help sustain MERIF projects.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.