Speaker
Gillian Sinclair
Description
"The NGS (UK National Grid Service; www.ngs.ac.uk) has been running roadshow events for more than 2 years with 13 events having taken place. The main aims of the roadshows are to raise awareness of the NGS amongst researchers, post docs and PhD students as well as IT staff and to provide “hands on” training in using NGS resources.
The roadshows are mainly held at NGS member sites of which there are currently 24. Roadshow events are also held at institutions that are interested in becoming NGS members or where there is a demand e.g. from a large research group.
The roadshows follow a format which can be tailored to each institutions requirements but usually include an introduction to the NGS, presentations from current NGS users and presentations on how to get started using NGS resources. The afternoon session is a “hands on” training session to allow delegates to gain real experience of submitting jobs to the NGS.
Feedback on the roadshows has been very positive with 80% of attendees likely to apply for a grid certificate and NGS account. We also carry out follow up feedback approximately 3 months after the roadshow.
We are currently planning a large number of roadshow events. The NGS has recently had funding confirmed until the end of July 2012 and we are currently ensuring that all member sites host a roadshow event in the next 11 months if they have not already hosted an event."
