Cyberinfrastructure Team

The Research and Data Cyberinfrastructure (CYBER) team designs socially- and materially-informed research computing and data solutions to address the needs of modern research and public access. From compute-adjacent big data storage and transfer systems to data curation to search engine optimization, the CYBER team explores and delivers infrastructure for the SMART FIRES team that enables technical security alongside public access, visibility, and transparency into scientific and engineering research.   We promote public trust in science through open access and literacy. 

What does the CYBER team do? 

We explore, develop, and consult on research computing and data infrastructure to: 

  • Store, protect, share, and transfer large datasets generated by SMART FIRES fire and smoke research 
  • Manage research data in preparation for public data sharing and reuse 
  • Assess researchers’ collaboration networks and propose potential new collaborators 
  • Understand the emerging information retrieval landscape, and the place of LLM search engines within it 
  • Optimize visibility and search engine awareness of SMART FIRES research 
  • Convey the scope of SMART FIRES research to different audiences and reading levels to promote broad public understanding. 

Why is CYBER important for wildfire science? 

Prescribed fire is a critical tool for reducing wildfire risk, but its success depends on public understanding and acceptance. CYBER research and facilitation helps:  

  • make high-volume wildfire and smoke data accessible and reusable both by the team and the public 
  • improve collaboration tools for researchers 
  • communicate smoke and fire research in language understandable to multiple audiences 
  • bring SMART FIRES research into modern LLM-infused search engines, increasing public access 

Who is on the CYBER team? 

Led by Venice Bayrd (Montana State University), the CYBER team also includes: 

  • Jason Clark (MSU) 
  • Zach Rossmiller (University of Montana) 
  • Coltran Hophan-Nichols (MSU) 
  • Michael Couso (UM) 
  • Myra Jamison (UM) 
  • 1-2 graduate students 
  • 1 undergraduate student 

What technologies are being developed and/or used? 

We use a range of technologies: 

  • Natural language processing (NLP), topic modelling, and knowledge graphs for identifying potential interdisciplinary collaborators in a scholarly network 
  • Semantic web and search engine optimization using JSON-LD triples, registries, agent-ready specifications, markdown, and analytics to drive, evaluate, and/or define the information retrieval capabilities of emerging LLM-infused search technologies 
  • JSON-LD and markdown to generate machine-readable nanopublications that increase the visibility and reach of SMART FIRES research 
  • High-performance storage-based data lake, Globus, and automated nightly offsite replicates for SMART FIRES data storage, access and transfer, and protection and restore 
  • Open access data repositories, open licensing, and open source code to facilitate shared data reuse, transparency, and public trust in science 

How does CYBER support other SMART FIRES teams? 

  • Partners with SOS, FSS, SPEE, and AIML to manage and share research data and code within the team and publicly 
  • Partners with the Communications team to integrate agent-ready specifications into the SMART FIRES website for increased visibility 

What are some key accomplishments so far? 

  • Developed a working scholarly network model featuring Montana researchers for use in interdisciplinary research collaboration development 
  • Integrated LLM-actionable specifications into the SMART FIRES website to observe site performance in search engine retrieval 
  • Initialized a project data lake, delivered trainings and instruction, and developed ongoing documentation to support SMART FIRES and similar projects 
  • Contributed to student professional development in high-impact areas including high performance computing and research data management 
  • Published multiple papers on CYBER team research 

 How does CYBER address ethical and social concerns? 

  • We study how to increase the quality of information that LLMs consume, to improve what LLMs produce, and we develop methods to reduce hallucinations 
  • We assist researchers to share data, code, and other research products openly to increase transparency, integrity, and public trust in science 
  • We develop tools to translate science into diverse contexts that are approachable for diverse audiences 

How does CYBER contribute to sustainability and long-term impact? 

The CYBER team is committed to preserving the products of research and making them discoverable, accessible, understandable, and reusable for a variety of audiences.  Through diverse methods, we seek to ensure that the SMART FIRES team, our Montana communities, and the public have access to SMART FIRES research now and in the future.  We believe that public trust in science is fortified by open access.