New to Berkeley Lab Computing Sciences Team
June 30, 2013
Karen Schafer, NERSC Networking, Security and Servers Group
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| Karen Schafer |
As the newest engineer in NERSC's networking, security and servers group, Karen Schafer will be provisioning networks in support of high performance computers.
Although Schafer is new to NERSC, she is no stranger to Berkeley Lab or the Department of Energy. She started working in IT at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 1990 as an electronic technician repairing computer monitors, printers, and personal computers down to the board or component level. As computers became more popular, she also supported local area networks, e-mail and file-servers. She most recently worked in Berkeley Lab's IT Division before coming to NERSC.
"In addition to switching and routing, I have experience with construction and renovation projects where new IT infrastructures are built and activated in a way that minimizes end-user downtime," says Schafer. "I think the NERSC environment is similar in that new systems are continually replacing older ones. Also, the move of NERSC from OSF to Berkeley in 2014 will require monumental effort from everyone. I'm excited to be a part of that."
Originally from the Midwest, Schafer moved to Northern California when she was five years old. After high school she earned an Associate of Science degree in Electronics Technology from the College of San Mateo. While working in IT, Schafer says she was intrigued by the successes of multidisciplinary teams where expertise from engineering, physics, chemistry, and computations combined to produce a result or product only previously imagined. This experience inspired her to pursue a Bachelors degree in Computer Science from California State University East Bay in 2006.
In her spare time, Schafer enjoys spending time in California beach and coastal communities. A self-proclaimed academic, she also enjoys formal courses of study. Recently, she completed a Java programming course at a local community college, not because her job required it, but rather for the intellectual challenge and to learn something new.
Paul Porter, ESnet Infrastructure Group
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| Paul Porter |
This month, Paul Porter joins the Energy Sciences Network's (ESnet) infrastructure team as the newest system administrator for SeriviceNow, a software platform that supports IT service management and automates common business processes. In addition, he will also provide operational support for established ESnet systems and services.
Before coming to Berkeley Lab, Porter was a service desk manager at the Trust for Public Land (a conservation based non-profit), an incident manager at Wells Fargo's Internet Service & Delivery team and a senior IT analyst at CNET Networks.
"My first interest in computing arose organically from my years in pre-production planning for The North Face, where I became the liaison to the company's IT division and helped fine tune the pre-production data processes," says Porter. "It was at CNET Networks that I learned and put into practice modern IT service management practices and frameworks."
A native of Northern Connecticut, Porter grew up near a forest, climbing trees and catching frogs in the local creeks. This inspired a life-long love for nature. He began his western migration in 1977, first to Central Arizona, where he fell in love with the Sonoran Desert, and then to Northern California, which provided perfect access to rugged coastlines ;and the ;Sierra Nevada. In his spare time, Porter enjoys wandering in the outdoors, photography and cycling. He currently lives with his wife and son in Oakland.
