Instructor Notes

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Why sustainable digital research matters

Instructor Note

To make the audience reflect a little bit before diving into the content, run a poll with the following questions:

  • What do you think the main contributors are to the emissions of digital research? Multiple choice or open question, depending on how close we want answers to be. If a multiple choice question, the options could be:
    • Manufacture of physical devices (laptops, servers, etc)
    • Running jobs in high performance computing facilities
    • Developing and running software locally in laptops and workstations
    • Using AI to assist research and everyday tasks
    • Using cloud resources (cloud storage, continuous integration services, etc)
  • What comes to mind when thinking about mindful computing? Open question.

Energy, power and carbon

Digital research activities with sustainability issues

Instructor Note

Depending on the size of the group and their engagement, the following challenge can also be done collectively as a class:

  • Participants go in turns suggesting items, and the instructor writes them in a whiteboard
  • Participants write items in post-its and then stick them on a wall

Both options can be done for remote delivery of the course, using digital whiteboards. Finally, the instructor comments on the results.


Introduction to the Case Studies

Instructor Note

Depending on the setting, the groups and the case study for each group might have been pre-assigned. If so, inform the participands accordingly, otherwise it will make sense to let them choose whatever group they want. Working on a topic that feels familiar will make them get the most of the activity, as they can learn specific things that day can apply to their daily work.

Ideally, each group should count with the support of a helper, available to ask questions and to guide them if they get stuck in any of the challenges.


Case Study 1 - Research Software Engineer

Case Study 2 - Lab Scientist doing computational work

Case Study 3 - HPC User

Case Study 4 - GPU Computing User

Summary

Instructor Note

Depending on time this final exercise can be run within the session, in groups or individually and attendees invited to feedback. If short on time it can be given as a takeaway.

The exercise is deliberately open-ended to let attendees approach it however they see fit.