Services from Tuck Research Computing are available to faculty at the Tuck School of Business.
Faculty may feel free to discuss their research service request with Tuck Research staff members prior to, or in conjunction with formally making the request for services. If the staff member believes that the service required is of short duration (e.g., a simple statistical question or question about 'how do I do this?' in a software package), service can often be provided by the staff member immediately.
For larger projects, to be officially considered for services, faculty should communicate their requests in one of two ways:
For requests requiring considerable time (categorized as short- or long-term) a meeting with TRC staff is required to ascertain the scope and duration of the project, the amount and nature of resources needed to fulfill the request, and the priority of the project or person requesting the service (see below). Project specifications and TRC resource use are then reviewed by TRC staff and Associate Dean Robert Hansen and a determination will be made as to whether TRC can provide the service. Faculty will be provided with an estimated timeline (with date of service provision) and our estimate of the hours needed to complete the project.
If services are provided by TRC, faculty will be notified of the decision and which TRC staff member will provide the services requested. Subsequent meetings and interactions will occur solely between the assigned TRC staff person and the faculty member. Hours and types of services provided are documented as the project progresses. TRC will bill the faculty member's STAR account on a monthly or semi-monthly basis for the number of service hours spent. Time granted to a faculty member for TRC services during a particular term are good for that term only. Unused time is not automatically allocated to the faculty member the following term. Thus, we advise the faculty member to budget his or her time during the term to encorporate the research proposed because there is no guarantee that the project will be funded in subsequent terms.
If services cannot be provided, TRC may recommend that the project be outsourced, or suggest that the faculty member revise the service request and resubmit it to TRC. Outsourcing involves employing a consultant to provide the services. Currently, TRC works closely with outsource consultants to maintain the highest level of service provision. If TRC recommends revising and resubmitting the request for services, TRC will make every effort to honor the service request within an academic quarter.
Not all requests for services to TRC can be fulfilled immediately or in the form requested. Five criteria have been developed to assist in prioritization of service requests. These include: