During February 2026, Ed developed a high-performance data compression feature for the spack/spack-packages repository, focusing on enhancing HDF5 and NetCDF-4 storage efficiency. He introduced the NetCDF Expansion Pack (NEP), enabling LZ4 and BZIP2 compression algorithms to reduce storage footprint and improve I/O throughput for data-intensive workloads. Ed’s work involved Python, CMake, and package management, integrating the new compression capabilities into the existing build and deployment workflows. The feature was thoroughly documented and merged, reflecting a deep understanding of data compression and scientific data formats. Ed collaborated closely with peers to ensure robust packaging and maintainability of the NEP package.