A rotation in ISGTW's U.S.-based editorship: Anne Heavey (at right) on her way out, while Miriam Boon steps in. Image courtesy of Cindy Arnold, Fermilab.

I – S – G – T – double-U
Anne’s time on board, it is through
The weeks, they have flown
My knowledge has grown
Dear readers, I hope same is true

Wow — what a great year I’ve had, working with Dan Drollette to bring your stories to the greater grid community and to help this community grow and cross-pollinate. I’ve enjoyed learning about the research and technologies that grid computing advances, transforms, or simply makes possible, and about you — the people behind these endeavors. It has been a pleasure to work with so many of you as contributors, and to meet many of you face-to-face. 

In the past year, iSGTW subscribership has grown from about 3700 to over 5000, and our readership has grown over 30%.  Our surveys tell us that most of you like the articles we bring you most of the time, so we’ve been continuing to collect in iSGTW the grid news we think you want, while branching out into clouds, clusters, multicore and more, as the fields advance and intermingle under our feet.

We’ve brought you a couple of series: LHC Startup (starting 10 September 2008) and Women in Grid (starting 11 March 2009), and special issues on biotechnology/health (3 June 2009) and last week, grids in Latin America.  We’ve added a glossary, BlogWatch, and job listings, hoping that these features help you get more out of iSGTW.

I will be returning to Fermilab now — metaphorically speaking, at least. I’ve continued to occupy my Fermilab office while “on loan” for the year to iSGTW. First assignment: plan the lab’s SC09 exhibit. If you will be in Portland, Oregon for this convention in November, stop by and say hello!

Please welcome iSGTW’s new U.S. editor, Miriam Boon, coming to you with a background in physics and journalism. I look forward to reading the future issues that she and Dan will produce and to seeing what new directions grid computing and iSGTW follow.

I can’t resist one more limerick…

And lastly, to Dan, it’s been great
As reliable colleague, you rate!
Across the Atlantic
Very few phone calls frantic
Our motto’s been “cooperate!”

— Anne Heavey, iSGTW