LINCC Advisory Committee

The LINCC Advisory Committee oversees LINCC (LSST Interdisciplinary Network for Collaboration and Computing). The official designation is LAC.

LINCC Overview

LINCC is an initiative of the LSST-DA and its member institutions. In consultation with LSST Science Collaborations, LINCC fosters:

  • the creation and sharing of analysis tools for key LSST science goals
  • the training and mentoring of future scientific leaders
  •  the opening of discovery space to a larger and more inclusive community

Four LSST-DA member institutions have been working closely with LSST-DA to establish LINCC and constitute the initial hub of LINCC:

  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • Northwestern University
  • University of Arizona
  • University of Washington

In its current form, LINCC consists of three initial program elements. These are managed in close coordination with LSST-DA as the sponsoring organization. 

  1. LINCC Frameworks is centered on two data science nodes (the University of Washington and Carnegie Mellon) that host LINCC-supported software professionals developing software infrastructure needed to enable the LSST community’s analysis tools to work at the scale and complexity demanded by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) data. LINCC Frameworks is managed by the LINCC Director (Jeno Sokolowski, Columbia and LSST-DA) together with the Frameworks PIs for the University of Washington (Andy Connolly) and Carnegie Mellon University (Rachel Mandelbaum). 
  1. Catalyst Postdoctoral Fellows is an annually selected set of outstanding early-career scientists who are supported at member and minority-affiliated institutions. The Catalyst Fellow program is managed by the LINCC Director, with close coordination and support from the Chair of the LSST-DA Executive Board. 
  1. Data Science Fellows is an annually selected cohort of graduate students who benefit from a two-year program of practical and instructor-led training on techniques and approaches to data analysis with the Rubin data products to enhance their preparation for doing science with Rubin. The Data Fellows Program is led by PI Adam Miller (Northwestern) in a partnership between LSST-DA and Northwestern University’s Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Exploration in Astrophysics (CIERA). 

LINCC’s programs aim to fill gaps between Rubin project-funded deliverables and scientific discovery. LINCC is structured to be a modular initiative that is flexible to the priorities and capacities of philanthropic donors and foundations, the local interests of LSST-DA member institutions, and the broad needs of the Rubin science community.

The overall coordination of LINCC and the future direction of new programs for LINCC is managed by the LSST-DA Executive Director (Beth Willman), and the LSST Executive Board oversees the entire program. Looking ahead, LSST-DA anticipates expanding LINCC beyond this initial set of programs and leveraging synergies among existing programs, further enhancing the scientific and societal impact of the program.

Responsibilities

The LAC will ensure the success of LINCC by advising on the implementation of funded programs, on the strategy and priorities for the overall LINCC initiative, and on possible new program elements and directions. In particular, the LAC will draw on the expertise of its members to advise the LSST-DA Executive Director, the LINCC Director, and LINCC Program PIs in areas such as:

  1. Effective governance, including plans to ensure coherent and efficient use of the entire LINCC network, effective interactions among LINCC programs, mechanisms for interaction with the Science Collaborations and the LSST science community, and joint planning with federally-funded centers such as SLAC and NOIRLAB for the effective use of shared resources
  2. Dissemination and maximization of the impact of LINCC’s deliverables
  3. Creating LINCC programs that benefit the full LSST-DA community

The LAC will function solely as an advisory body and report to the LSST-DA Board Chair and the LSST-DA Executive Director. LSST-DA will provide staff and travel support for the LAC as necessary.

Current Members

Membership

  1. The LAC will consist of six to eight members, without compensation, to be appointed by the LSST-DA Board Chair. 
  2. One member will be from the LSST Science Collaborations, another will have experience with multi-institutional networks, and two will be from non-Hub LSST-DA member institutions (possibly one university and one national laboratory). 
  3. The committee will include expertise on the curation and distribution of open-source software and data products, on inclusive community building, and on a range of LSST science areas. 
  4. No more than four members will be from a non-member institution.

Meetings

The LAC will meet as determined by the chair of that committee, the LSST-DA Board Chair, and the LSST-DA Executive Director.