HCP-YA AWS S3 Key generation available on BALSA

[Elam, Jennifer]

HCP-YA AWS S3 Key generation implemented in BALSA

AWS S3 key generation/regeneration is now available to access the HCP S1200 Release (2017 

data including Retest, MEG, and GroupAvg PTN).

Login to BALSA and navigate to the HCP-Young Adult 2025 (or Retest) project  (https://balsa.wustl.edu/project?project=HCP_YA). Click on "Get/Reset AWS S3 access" at the top right. If you get an error make sure you are logged in and have signed the HCP-YA Data Use Terms.

Once you have keys you can browse the S3 data as described on our wiki under "Connecting to AWS Data Using These Credentials".

Note: For analyses going forward, we recommend using the HCP-YA 2025 data released in Aug 2025 with updated processing including improved spatial and temporal ICA and bias field correction on all fMRI data. This data is directly available for download on BALSA. The 2017 data on AWS is meant for limited uses such as comparison with older published studies.

Jennifer Elam, Ph.D.
Scientific Outreach, Human Connectome Project
Washington University School of Medicine
Department of Neuroscience, Box 8108
660 South Euclid Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63110
314-362-9387
el...@wustl.edu
www.humanconnectome.org

 

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[Pelin İpek]

Dear Dr. Elam and HCP users,

I am writing to seek assistance regarding a persistent error I have encountered while attempting to generate AWS S3 credentials through the BALSA platform.

Despite having signed the HCP-YA Data Use Terms and ensured all necessary permissions are active on my account, I receive a generic "Something went wrong" error message every time I click on "Get/Reset AWS S3 access" for the HCP-Young Adult 2025 project.  This error has persisted for approximately one month.  I have cleared my cache, tried multiple browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari), and verified my login status. I have attached a screenshot of the error message as it appears on the project page. Are there known server-side issues with S3 key regeneration for this specific release, or is there a specific step in the credentialing process I might be overlooking?

Thank you for your time and for the incredible resources provided by the HCP.

Best regards,

Pelin İpekoğlu, 

Medical Student, MD Candidate 

Acıbadem University

[Jennifer Elam]

Hi Pelin,

I took a look at your account and you have _not_ yet agreed to the HCP-YA Open Access Data Use Terms (click on the "Data Use Terms" tab to agree). This is why the S3 key generation is not working. We will take a look at updating the S3 generation error message to better direct users that have the same issue. 

Best,

Jenn

[Pelin İpek]

Dear Dr. Elam and HCP Support Team,

I hope this email finds you well. I am following up on my previous message regarding the "Something went wrong" error when attempting to generate AWS S3 access keys.

To clarify the status of my account: although the administrative view may show otherwise, my BALSA dashboard indicates that I have already agreed to the HCP-YA Open Access Data Use Terms (see attached screenshots). I am currently able to download files directly from BALSA, but the S3 credentialing module does not seem to recognize this "Agreed" status (it is keep giving "something went wrong" monologue).  I have tested this across multiple browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari) and cleared all cache/cookies, yet the S3 generation error persists.  Since the March 31st update noted that HCP-YA 2025 is currently a BALSA-exclusive release, is it possible that the S3 credentialing module is only intended for the legacy S1200 data? If so, is there a specific protocol to sync the "Agreed" status from the 2025 project page to the S3 generator for those of us requiring AWS access for older comparative studies? I have attached a screenshot of the BALSA project page confirming the active terms. Thank you for your assistance in resolving this technical hurdle.

Best regards,

Pelin İpekoğlu 

Medical Student, MD Candidate 

Acıbadem University 

Virüs yok.www.avast.com

[Elam, Jennifer]

Hi Pelin,

I can see that you have two accounts (usernames "Pelin Ipek" and "Pelinİpek") with the same associated email which might lead to some confusion. The "Pelin İpek" account has agreed to the WU-Minn HCP Data Use Terms. If you are logged into that account the "Get/Reset AWS S3 Access" button popup should work. If you double check the account and still have trouble, we will need to have the developer investigate. Please let us know how it goes. 

Best,

Jenn

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From: Pelin İpek <pelini...@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2026 12:58 PM
To: Jennifer Elam <elam...@gmail.com>
Cc: HCP-Users <hcp-...@humanconnectome.org>; Elam, Jennifer <el...@wustl.edu>; Smith, John <john....@wustl.edu>
Subject: Re: HCP-YA AWS S3 Key generation available on BALSA

 

[Pelin İpek]

Hi Dr. Elam,

Thank you for the incredibly fast follow-up!

I have double-checked and I am definitely logged into the "Pelin İpek" account. I also attempted to generate the key in an Incognito window to ensure no session conflicts, but unfortunately, the "Something went wrong" error persists.

Regarding the duplicate account ("Pelinİpek"): I am not sure how it was created and I do not use it. To prevent any further database confusion, would it be possible for your team to delete that account entirely? If I need to take any manual steps to remove it myself, please let me know.

If the error remains on the "Pelin İpek" account after the duplicate is cleared, I would be very grateful if a developer could look into the synchronization between my account's Data Use Terms and the S3 module.

Thank you again for your time and for helping me resolve this technical hurdle!

Best regards,

Pelin İpekoğlu ,

Medical Student, MD Candidate 

Acıbadem University

Virüs yok.www.avast.com