Title: Configuring and Customizing the Hubzero Experience

Team Members: Antonio Guion, Tatyana Matthews, Nigel Pugh

Mentors: Je'aime Powell, Justin Deloatch

Keywords: HUBzero, gateway user experience

Abstract: HUBzero is an open source software package used to construct websites for scientific research and educational activities. HUBzero was originally created by researchers at Purdue University in conjunction with the National Science Foundation (NSF) who sponsored the Network for Computational Nanotechnology to support nanoHUB.org. The HUBzero platform currently supports over 40 hubs across a variety of disciplines, including cancer research, biofuels, climate modeling, water quality, education, and more.

The team investigated how HUBzero features are utilized for research, education, and scientific collaboration. The project involved configuring and customizing the user experience on a new hub. The team also learned how to work with simulation workspaces, plus the process of allowing groups to collaborate. Finally, the team learned how to publish the hub so that it could be viewed publicly and how to use the new database component.

To accomplish this, the HUBzero team members used data collected by the 2013 Research Experience for Undergraduates Pasquotank River Watershed Team who completed tests of five tributaries and the river itself. Streams tested were Newbegun Creek, Knobbs Creek, Areneuse Creek, Mill Dam Creek, and Sawyers Creek. The team uploaded test data to a database to determine how HUBzero handles databases.