1. Michael Lees Georgios Theodoropoulos Midlands e-Science Centre

2. MeSC history Funded from 2003-2005 a virtual centre involving Birmingham, Warwick, Wolverhampton and Coventry: Two members of staff Access Grid Node MeSC cluster (SRIF-2 54 node Linux cluster) AGN no longer maintained MeSC cluster now maintained by Lawrence Lowe (Physics) and Alan Reed (IS)

3. Research at MeSC Simulation of evolving systems of interacting components Large-scale Grid-enabled distributed simulation Mathematical solutions of large complex systems Data mining and large-scale visualisation

4. Collaborative Research Network (CRN) The Informatics CRN at the University of Birmingham involves virtually every School across campus, spanning the sciences, engineering, medicine and humanities. The primary focus of the research activities of the Informatics CRN are on the following themes: modelling and analysis of large complex systems Knowledge bases, data analysis and visualisation, and Collaborative research technologies and infrastructures

5. CRN projects CancerGrid: open standards for clinical cancer informatics Climate and Atmospheric Modelling Cognitive Systems for Cognitive Assistants – Co Mathematical Modelling of Fluid Flows Metabolomics MidReC e-Science: A Virtual Network for Primary Care Trials Natural Computation Neuroinformatics Probabilistic Model Checking with PRISM Science Education through Emerging Informatics Technologies Studies of Fluidised Beds of Cohesive Particles Studying Proteins Understanding the Causes of Childhood Cancer Understanding the Internet: modelling communications networks Uptake Signal Sequences in Bacterial DNASy coliBASE Computational Chemistry The Digital Cuneiform Project • Distributed Simulation and Virtual Worlds • Gravitational Waves • GridPP Collaboration • Integrative Biology: cancer modelling • The Lab of Tomorrow: wearable computers in science education • Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions • Mathematical Modelling of Fluid Flows • Metabolomics • MidReC e-Science: A Virtual Network for Primary Care Trials • Natural Computation • Neuroinformatics • Probabilistic Model Checking with PRISM • Science Education through Emerging Informatics Technologies • Studies of Fluidised Beds of Cohesive Particles • Studying Proteins • Understanding the Causes of Childhood Cancer • Understanding the Internet: modelling communications networks • Uptake Signal Sequences in Bacterial DNA

6. Other hardware/investment With the MeSC cluster as a pilot, Birmingham university are to invest ~£2.5M of SRIF3 funding for a new 1000 node cluster with 100TB storage. Birmingham has been nominated Science City AWM funding to provide further infrastructure including ~150 node cluster (still at very early stage)

7. Current Usage (June 2006) 67 users from 16 departments 7% for short batch, 63% for long batch, 30% for interactive “Approaching Ceiling of available processing” (June 2006)

9. Key Issues Administration and Maintenance – For both AGN and cluster there are no paid members of staff. Better solution to demand for interactive and batch processing

10. Further information MeSC - http://www.mesc.bham.ac.uk CRN - http://www.informatics.bham.ac.uk Cluster -http://www.informatics.bham.ac.uk/events/LoweescienceClusterUpdate2006.pdf