7:30 am - 8:30 am CST - Breakfast in room 401 AD 

8:30 am - 8:45 am CST - Welcome Plenary in room 401 BC | Presented by Deep Medhi and Paul Ruth 

8:45 am - 9:45 am CST - Keynote in room 401 BC | Presented by Kerk Kee 

Advancing Cyberinfrastructure Adoption: Practical Insights from Social Science Research on Innovation Diffusion

As the scientific landscape evolves, the adoption of cyberinfrastructure becomes crucial for driving innovation and enabling high-impact research. However, the spread and diffusion of such transformative technologies within the scientific community is not without challenges. In this talk, we will explore the intersection of technology adoption and social science, focusing on strategies to effectively promote the widespread use of cyberinfrastructure. We will analyze the critical factors influencing adoption, including relative advantage, compatibility, and complexity, while also considering the roles of different adopter groups, from innovators, early adoptions, to laggards. This talk will provide a roadmap for accelerating the diffusion of cyberinfrastructure, addressing barriers to adoption, and ultimately enhancing the capacity of the U.S. scientific community to conduct cutting-edge research. The talk concludes with strategic approaches needed to foster the integration of cyberinfrastructure, including Midscale Experimental Research Infrastructures, and drive the next wave of scientific advancements.

9:45 am - 11:55 am CST - Platform Updates 

The MERIF24 Update Sessions will offer a focused and informative 15-minute overview of various platforms, showcasing each presenter's platform introduction, recent updates, and future goals. Attendees will gain insight into the platforms' purpose, key functionalities, and ongoing innovations while learning about success metrics like user engagement and publications. Although there will be no formal Q&A during the sessions, presenters will encourage questions and further discussion during the Show & Tell session, breaks, and Demo Night.

9:45 am - 1`0:00 am CST - EduceLab Updates in room 401 BC | Presented by Jim Griffioen

10:00 am - 10:15 am  CST - SAGE Updates in room 401 BC | Presented by Seongha Park and Yongho Kim 

10:20 am - 10:35 am CST - FABRIC Updates in room 401 BC | Presented by Paul Ruth 

10:35 am - 11:00 am  CST - Break (Refreshments available in room 401 AD) 

11:00 am - 11:15 am CST - Chameleon Updates in room 401 BC | Presented by Fraida Fund 

11:20 am - 11:35 am CST - SPHERE Updates in room 401 BC | Presented by Brian Kocoloski 

11:40 am - 11:55 am CST - Cloudlab Updates in room 401 BC | Presented by Robert Ricci 

12:00 pm - 1:20 pm CST - Show and Tell Session featuring User Demonstrations in room 401 BC

The "Show and Tell" sessions at MERIF24 will feature 2-4 participants demonstrating their use of MERIF platforms in 15-minute presentations. These sessions will focus on unique platform features, the rationale behind platform selection, and the impact on scientific outcomes. A panel discussion with the presenters will follow, providing further insights and an opportunity for audience questions. Documentation and materials will be provided to attendees for later experimentation.

12:00pm - 12:12pm: William Fowler, Tufts University, “Edge-Enabled Real-Time Data Processing and Transmission in Low-Cost Weather Stations using IBIS”

12:12pm - 12:24pm: Yuqing Cui, University at Buffalo, “Demonstration of the sim-to-real gap of the AERPAW testbed using multi-fidelity simulators”

12:24pm-12:26pm: Trevontae' Haughton, University of Missouri-Columbia, “Federated Learning-enabled Network Incident Anomaly Detection for Drone Swarms”

12:36pm-12:48: Yongho Kim, Argonne National Lab, “Multimodal Model for Dynamic Data Collection and Analysis at the Edge"

12:48pm-1:00: Syed Ayaz Mahmud, University of Utah, “Coexistence of 5G and Wi-Fi in the unlicensed spectrum"

1:00pm-1:20pm: Q&A with the presenters

1:20 pm - 1:30 pm CST - Demo Night Lightning Talks 

During the Demo Night Lightning Talks, presenters who have signed up to give a demo will each provide a 60-second demonstration overview. These brief presentations will highlight key aspects of their demos and give attendees a preview of what to expect during the whole Demo Night. This session offers a quick glimpse into the innovative work being showcased and helps attendees plan which demos to explore in more detail later in the evening. 

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm CST - Lunch in room 401 AD 

2:30 pm - 5:00 pm CST - Introduction Tutorial Tracks 

The Introductory Tutorial Sessions are designed for those interested in understanding the various platforms introduced earlier in the day. These sessions will provide hands-on guidance on effectively using these testbeds in your research, offering practical insights and tips to help you leverage your full potential. These tutorials will equip you with the tools and techniques to integrate these platforms into your work, perfect for newcomers or anyone looking to enhance their knowledge.

Track One - room 401 B

2:30 pm - 3:30 pm CST - Intro to Chameleon in room 401 B | Presented by Kate Keahey 

3:30 pm - 4:00 pm CST - Break (Refreshments available in room 401 AD) 

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm CST - Intro to SPHERE in room 401 B | Presented by Brian Kocoloski 

Track Two - room 401 C 

2:30 pm - 3:30 pm CST - Intro to FABRIC in room 401 C | Presented by Komal Thareja 

3:30 pm - 4:00 pm CST - Break (Refreshments available in room 401 AD) 

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm CST - Intro to Cloudlab in room 401 C | Presented by Robert Ricci 

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm CST - Demo Night in room 401 AD 

During Demo Night, attendees will have the opportunity to explore a variety of innovative demos presented by their peers while enjoying appetizers and light snacks. Each demo will showcase cutting-edge research and applications, allowing attendees to engage directly with the presenters, ask questions, and gain deeper insights into the work.

7:30 am - 8:30 am CST - Breakfast in room 401 AD 

8:30 am - 8:40 am CST - Welcome in room 401 BD | Presented by Ellen Zegura 

8:45 am - 9:40 am CST - Platform Updates 

The MERIF24 Update Sessions will offer a focused and informative 15-minute overview of various platforms, showcasing each presenter's platform introduction, recent updates, and future goals. Attendees will gain insight into the platforms' purpose, key functionalities, and ongoing innovations while learning about success metrics like user engagement and publications. Although there will be no formal Q&A during the sessions, presenters will encourage questions and further discussion during the Show & Tell session and breaks. 

8:45 am - 9:00 am CST - NDIF Updates in room 401 BC | Presented by David Bau

9:05 am - 9:20 am CST - Colosseum Updates in room 401 BC | Presented by Manu Gosain, Michele Polese, and Tommaso Melodia 

9:25 am - 9:40 am CST - AERPAW Updates in room 401 BC | Presented by Rudra Dutta

9:40 am - 10:45 am CST - Show and Tell Session featuring User Demonstrations in room 401 BC

The "Show and Tell" sessions at MERIF24 will feature 3 participants demonstrating their use of MERIF platforms in 15-minute presentations. These sessions will focus on unique platform features, the rationale behind platform selection, and the impact on scientific outcomes. A panel discussion with the presenters will follow, providing further insights and an opportunity for audience questions. Documentation and materials will be provided to attendees for later experimentation.

9:40am - 9:52am: Nikos Makris, University of Thessaly, Greece, “SLICES post-5G Blueprint deployment on Colosseum”

9:52am - 10:04am: Xi Yang, ESnet, “FabFed - The FABRIC Federation Extension Software as a User Tool for Cross-Testbed Experiments”

10:04am-10:16am: Kevin Hermstein, Columbia University, “Experimentation with Mobile 28-GHz Phased Array Antenna Modules”

10:16am-10:28am: Mohammad Saquib, Rafid Umayer Murshed, University of Texas – Dallas  “ARA-Enabled Characterization of TVWS Massive MIMO Channels”

10:28pm-10:45pm: Q&A with the presenters

10:45 am - 11:15 am CST - Break (Refreshments available in room 401 AD) 

11:15 am - 12:10 pm CST - Platform Updates 

The MERIF24 Update Sessions will offer a focused and informative 15-minute overview of various platforms, showcasing each presenter's platform introduction, recent updates, and future goals. Attendees will gain insight into the platforms' purpose, key functionalities, and ongoing innovations while learning about success metrics like user engagement and publications. Although there will be no formal Q&A during the sessions, presenters will encourage questions and further discussion during the Show & Tell session and breaks. 

11:15 am - 11:30 am CST - COSMOS Updates in room 401 BC | Presented by Ivan Seskar 

11:34 am - 11:50 am CST - ARA Updates in room 401 BC | Presented by Daji Qiao and Hongwei Zhang

11:55 am - 12:10  pm CST - POWDER Updates in room 401 BC | Presented by Kirk Webb  

POWDER is a composable, end-to-end wireless platform located at the University of Utah that provides a rich set of resources and environments, from outdoor SDRs and RUs, to an indoor over-the-air lab, to conducted and controlled RF. In this talk, we will discuss how you can use these resources, combined with system- and user-provided starting points (profiles), to deploy and experiment with advanced techniques, such as 5G handover and O-RAN xApp development.

12:10 pm - 1:00 pm CST - Show and Tell Session featuring User Demonstrations  in room 401 BC

The "Show and Tell" sessions at MERIF24 will feature 2 participants demonstrating their use of MERIF platforms in 15-minute presentations. These sessions will focus on unique platform features, the rationale behind platform selection, and the impact on scientific outcomes. A panel discussion with the presenters will follow, providing further insights and an opportunity for audience questions. Documentation and materials will be provided to attendees for later experimentation.

12:10pm - 12:24pm: Ufuk Usubutun, New York University, “Teaching Network Security on MERIFs”

12:24pm - 12:36pm: Weijie  Wang, NYU / Columbia University, “AERPAW in the Classroom”

12:36pm-12:48pm: Ilknur Aydin, Farmingdale State College, “Teaching Computer Networks using CloudLab”

12:48pm-1:00pm: Q&A with the presenters

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm CST - MERIF the Path Forward Working Group in room 401 BC | Led by Paul Ruth and Glenn Ricart 

The MERIF24 Workgroup Sessions aim to facilitate sharing experiences and techniques for utilizing midscale infrastructure while developing a roadmap for MERIF's future support. Attendees will participate in discussions on current challenges and best practices, contribute to generating a workgroup report, and provide insights to shape MERIF’s direction. Each session, led by designated facilitators, will include presentations, discussions, and a collaborative effort to compile a report summarizing key findings and recommendations. Participants are expected to engage actively and contribute to the session report. 

2:00 pm - 2:45 pm CST - Lunch in room 401 AD 

2:45 pm - 5:00 pm CST - Introduction Tutorial Tracks 

The Introductory Tutorial Sessions are designed for those interested in understanding the various platforms introduced earlier in the day. These sessions will provide hands-on guidance on effectively using these testbeds in your research, offering practical insights and tips to help you leverage your full potential. These tutorials will equip you with the tools and techniques to integrate these platforms into your work, perfect for newcomers or anyone looking to enhance their knowledge.

Track One - Room 402 

2:45 pm - 3:45 pm CST - Intro to COSMOS in room 402 | Presented by Ivan Seskar 

3:45 pm - 4:00 pm CST - Break (Refreshments available in room 401 AD) 

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm CST - Intro to SAGE in room 402 | Presented by Seongha Park and Yongho Kim

Track Two - Room 401 B 

2:45 pm - 3:45 pm CST - Intro to POWDER in room 401 B | Presented by Dustin Maas and Kirk Webb 

A note from POWDER: Please create a POWDER user account and join the merif2024 project before the POWDER tutorial session. Instructions for doing so can be found at the following link: https://gitlab.flux.utah.edu/powderrenewpublic/merif2024/-/blob/main/README.md

3:45 pm - 4:00 pm CST - Break (Refreshments available in room 401 AD) 

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm CST - Intro to AERPAW in room 401 B | Presented by Margeth Mushi 

PRE-WORK: It is highly recommended that the attendees do the pre-work outlined on the tutorial webpage. I will soon include this in the Google Drive folder. Please help distribute this to prospective attendees. We will walk through all of these at the tutorial, but attendees who do the pre-work are much more likely to be able to get to the actually significant parts of the tutorial.

Track Three - Room 401 C 

2:45 pm - 3:45 pm CST - Intro to ARA in room 401 C | Presented by Sarath Babu  

3:45 pm - 4:00 pm CST - Break (Refreshments available in room 401 AD) 

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm CST - Intro to Colosseum in room 401 C | Presented by Michele Polese  

7:30 am - 8:30 am CST - Breakfast in room 401 AD 

8:30 am - 11:30 am - Working Groups 

The MERIF24 Workgroup Sessions aim to facilitate sharing experiences and techniques for utilizing midscale infrastructure while developing a roadmap for MERIF's future support. Attendees will participate in discussions on current challenges and best practices, contribute to generating a workgroup report, and provide insights to shape MERIF’s direction. Each session, led by designated facilitators, will include presentations, discussions, and a collaborative effort to compile a report summarizing key findings and recommendations. Participants are expected to engage actively and contribute to the session report. 

Track One - Room 401 B 

8:30 am - 9:30 am - Mid-scale Project Management Working Group in room 401 B | Led by David Balenson 

9:30 am - 10:00 am CST - Break (Refreshments available in room 401 AD) 

10:00 am - 11:00 am CST - Collecting User Stories and Success Metrics Working Group in room 401 B | Led by Rob Ricci and Bryttany Todd 

Track Two - Room 402

10:00 am - 11:00 am CST - Choosing the Right Testbed Working Group in room 402 | Led by Alicia Morel 

Track Three - Room 401 C 

8:30 am - 9:30 am - Supporting Community Needs in Education Working Group in room 401 C | Led by Jorge Benitez, Fraida Fund, Iknur Aydin and Ufuk Usubutun

9:30 am - 10:00 am CST - Break (Refreshments available in room 401 AD) 

10:00 am - 11:00 am CST - Supporting Community Needs in Research/ Domain Science Working Group in room 401 C | Led by Mike Zink and Ivan Seskar 

11:30 am - 12:00 pm CST - Working Group Report Outs in room 401 AD | Led by Working Group Presenters 

During the Working Group Report-Outs at MERIF24, each session lead will concisely summarize their group's findings, including lessons learned, current challenges, and recommendations. These five-minute presentations will be based on the collaborative reports generated during the workgroup sessions, highlighting key insights and future directions for MERIF. Attendees will gain an overview of the collective discussions and recommendations from various workgroups, informing ongoing and future activities.

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm CST - Lunch in room 401 AD 

END OF WORKSHOP