Science Gateways Developers and Research Software Engineers: How Can We Build a Vibrant Healthy Community Around Software Solutions Accelerating Science?
Creators: name: Gesing, Sandra
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: science gateways
research software engineers
community building
SGX3
US-RSE

description: The importance of science gateways and research software in general for accelerating research is evident in many projects such as SGX3: the NSF Center of Excellence for Science Gateways, the eight Research Software Engineer Associations world-wide and Virtual Research Environments such as the All-Ready Agroecology Virtual Lab. Science gateway creators and Research Software Engineers (RSEs) develop and maintain software solutions that expedite scientific breakthroughs across diverse domains and many researchers could not continue their research without software. While research software and its practitioners are gaining more recognition, there's still a need for well-defined career paths and incentives.¬Science gateway creators and RSEs have symbiotic communities and quite some overlap to address research challenges. Science gateways serve as intuitive interfaces, granting researchers access to cutting-edge computing resources and specialized software tools tailored to their specific research cases. RSEs are experts in designing and developing research software in general, ensuring the robustness, scalability, and user-friendliness, which is also needed for science gateways. Science gateway creators and RSEs are still often hidden in the research enterprise though and academia rewards in career paths only the conventional accomplishments such publications, citations, and successful proposals and not research products such as science gateways. We need a cultural change, and this is only possible with quite a few volunteers dedicating their time to the science gateway and research software community.Building a vibrant healthy community around science gateways and research software requires a comprehensive strategy. Platforms for communication and collaboration facilitate idea exchange, sharing of practices, and even failures. Online forums, conferences like RSE conferences, and workshops such as IWSG are vital for these exchanges, mostly organized by passionate volunteers. However, maintaining their enthusiasm while preventing burnout is a challenge. Measures such as workload management, peer support networks, and recognizing volunteer efforts are essential for sustaining community engagement.Championing diversity and inclusivity is fundamental for a healthy, innovative community. Encouraging participation from diverse backgrounds enriches the community and enhances the relevance of software solutions. Initiatives promoting diversity should include outreach, mentorship programs, and unbiased policies.Moreover, investing in training and professional development initiatives are cornerstones for building career paths. They empower science gateway creators and RSEs to be knowledgeable about emergent technologies and good practices, thus, improve the quality of the software solutions they create.In summary, fostering a vibrant community around science gateway developers and research software engineers is vital for high-quality research software and changing academic culture. By enabling collaboration, providing support and recognition, championing diversity, and investing in training while addressing burnout risks, we empower these individuals to accelerate science and technology.