After four years as chair of the Computing and Communications Services Advisory Committee, Ali Belkacem of Chemical Sciences is stepping down.

Since he joined the Lab's advisory committee on computing services in 1990, Ali Belkacem has influenced a lot of infrastructure changes, such as centrally supported email, an overhaul of the Lab's business applications, and establishment of a central Help Desk to keep desktop systems up and running. And for the past four years, as chair of the Computing and Communications Services Advisory Committee (CSAC), Belkacem has taken a lead role in evaluating current services and shaping future ones.

But now, he's decided it's time to let someone else chair the group, which has taken on a more activist role under Belkacem's leadership. Michel Van Hove of the Materials Sciences Division will be the new CSAC chair. CSAC serves as an advisory committee to the Information Technologies and Services Division (ITSD) by providing critical user input regarding Berkeley Lab's computing and communications infrastructure.

After chairing his last meeting on June 13, Belkacem was warmly thanked by committee members for the job he has done. ITSD Director Sandy Merola praised Belkacem for being committed to the Lab, a trusted advisor, an agent for change and a true gentleman.

CSAC member Alessandra Ciocio of Physics also thanked Belkacem for giving her challenging assignments and provoking her to think about new ideas. But mostly, she said, she appreciated his vision. "That's what really pushed me," she said, adding that Ali's vision is contagious and got CSAC members more involved in committee projects. Ciocio led a two-year project to evaluate options for enhancing the scientific role of midrange computing at the Lab, culminating in the Scientific Cluster Support program.

In return, Belkacem said that chairing the committee is similar to his volunteer effort as a soccer coach. When the team wins, many are quick to compliment the coach, he said, but the secret is in having a group of good players. "It's not the chair who makes the committee — it's the committee that makes the chair," he said.

In closing, Merola cited some of the Lab-wide accomplishments achieved during Belkacem's tenure on the committee. They include:

• Web implementation of the LETS timekeeping system
• LBLnet criticality and futures study
• Reinvention of CSAC as a proactive influential body
• Creation of the Laboratory’s home page on the Web
• Guiding the beginnings of Linux at the Lab
• Improvement of the Lab's Current Job Opportunities on the LBNL Web site
• Birth of IMAP as the principal LBNL email service
• Creation of the Computer Protection Manager function
• Creation of an appropriate use policy for Lab IT
• Strategic planning for Lab IT
• Greater awareness of performance metrics for IT strategic servers
• Strategy to block sending addresses of spam, followed later by Brightmail
• Emphasis on computer backups and a subsidy strategy
• Creation of the virus wall
• Need for a cell phone usage policy
• Study of future service models for the Lab library
• Mid-Range Computing Initiative
• Berkeley Lab Information Systems
• Desktop standardization study
• Windows XP support

"Interacting and working with Ali over the last years has been not only productive but also enjoyable," Merola said. "He is a person of principle and ensures that the good of open science and LBNL serve as the foundations for his actions and recommendations."