HPC in the News
XSEDE and Blue Waters go supernova
If you were to go back far enough into the Earth’s cosmic ancestry, you might be surprised to find it all started with a supernova explosion. These explosive cosmic events are like laboratories in space, generating elements that enable the creation of life later on; in fact, most of what makes up the Earth, including us humans, evolved from these fundamental elements. This is why simulating the process of a star going supernova is so important—it could potentially be the key to unlocking some of the bigger mysteries of how we came to be in the universe. To read further, please visit http://www.ncsa.illinois.edu/news/story/xsede_and_blue_waters_go_supernova.
Internet2’s InCommon and XSEDE Develop Service That Provides Internationally Accepted Digital Certificates for Cyberinfrastructure
Digital certificates accredited by the Interoperable Global Trust Federation (IGTF) are now available to subscribers of Internet2’s InCommon Certificate Service. These certificates enable secure connections between services in XSEDE (the Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment) and other cyberinfrastructure providers, including Open Science Grid and the European Grid Infrastructure. I n contrast to the digital certificates used on web sites, IGTF server certificates secure the distributed computing systems that provide access to supercomputers, data archives, and other research infrastructure. The InCommon IGTF server certificates are an additional option, provided at no additional charge to subscribers, alongside the other certificate types already available. Subscribers should choose the IGTF certificate option when working with IGTF relying “This joint effort with XSEDE has enabled InCommon to develop another service of value to the research community,” said John Krienke, director of trust services at Internet2 and InCommon’s chief operating officer. “The InCommon Certificate Service and InCommon Federation together provide an interoperable framework for authentication of users and servers increasingly relied upon for research collaborations.” For more information, visit https://www.incommon.org/certificates/igtf/.
HPC Matters (2) (video)
Why does #HPCMatter? Watch (and like) this video about a world without supercomputers. To view the video, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3aI4sEUJ_Y.
National Data Service Kickoff
Creating an infrastructure supporting data from across all disciplines of science, engineering, and humanities so that researchers can easily find, reuse, and publish data in a world where researchers generate immense amounts of it daily was the focus of the kickoff meeting for the National Data Service (NDS). More than 70 representatives from organizations across the United States and around the world gathered in Boulder, Colorado, in June to begin turning the vision into reality. To read further, please visit http://www.ncsa.illinois.edu/news/story/national_data_services_kickoff.
HPCwire Reader's Choice Nominations Now Open
Nomination Deadline – August 22, 2014
We are excited to announce the first phase of our annual HPCwire Reader's Choice Awards as nominations are now open. Were you particularly impressed in 2014 by a company or their products in the HPC community? ...This is your chance to help them get recognized! Candidates with the most nominations per category will move on to elections. Be sure to nominate worthy candidates and share with co-workers. For more information, please visit http://www.hpcwire.com/2014-hpcwire-readers-choice-awards/.
China Still Has the Fastest Supercomputer, but the U.S. Still Rules
Computerworld
Although China has the world's most powerful supercomputer, which is capable of speeds of up to 33.86 petaflops per second, the United States produces more supercomputers than any other country, according to the latest Top500 supercomputer list. IDC analyst Steve Conway estimates about 90 percent of the systems on the Top500 ranking are manufactured by U.S. vendors, including 65 of the 76 Chinese systems on the most recent list. Still, U.S. dominance in supercomputer production is by no means assured, given intensifying global competition. The U.S. accounted for 233 systems on the Top500 list last month, slipping below 50 percent for the first time. Conway attributes this decline to the Chinese push. To read further, please visit http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9249506/China_has_the_fastest_supercomputer_but_the_U.S._still_rules_.
UChicago Program to Train Data Scientists
This summer, 48 fellows from around the world have come to Chicago to tackle these and other missions as part of the 2014 Data Science for Social Good Summer Fellowship, a University of Chicago program dedicated to making a better world through innovative data science projects. For 12 weeks, fellows work with non-profit and government organizations to make the most of their data and create positive impact in education, healthcare, energy conservation, economic development and more. To read more, please visit http://www.hpcwire.com/off-the-wire/uchicago-program-train-data-scientists/.
Cray Awarded Contract to Install India’s First XC30 Supercomputer
Global supercomputer leader Cray Inc. today announced the Company has been awarded a contract to provide the Tata Institute for Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai with a Cray XC30 supercomputer – the first Cray XC30 system in India. TIFR is a multi-disciplinary research and teaching institute, and is also a National Centre of the Government of India and a deemed university. Started in 1945 by the late Dr. Homi J. Bhabha, today TIFR carries out research in all frontline areas of fundamental sciences, such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, computer science and scientific education. TIFR is the birthplace of numerous initiatives and institutions that are now engaged in applied sciences and technology throughout India. To read further, please visit http://www.hpcwire.com/off-the-wire/cray-awarded-contract-install-indias-first-xc30-supercomputer/.
Using Surrogate Benchmarks to Project HPC Application Performance
“Computer science and engineering performance projections of HPC applications onto various hardware platforms are important for hardware vendors and HPC users. The projections aid hardware vendors in the design of future systems and help HPC users with system procurement. This lecture presents a method for projecting the performance of HPC applications using surrogate benchmarks and the application performance profile obtained on one base system.” To read further, please visit http://insidehpc.com/2014/07/19/using-surrogate-benchmarks-project-hpc-application-performance/.
HPC Call for Participation
BigData 2015\\
January 26-20, 2015 - Tarragona, Spain
Registration Deadline – July 22, 2014
BigDat 2015 is a research training event for graduates and postgraduates in the first steps of their academic career. It aims at updating them about the most recent developments in the fast developing area of big data, which covers a large spectrum of current exciting research, development and innovation with an extraordinary potential for a huge impact on scientific discoveries, medicine, engineering, business models, and society itself. Renowned academics and industry pioneers will lecture and share their views with the audience. For more information, please visit http://grammars.grlmc.com/bigdat2015/.
2nd International Conference on Educational Technologies 2014 – Call for Papers
December 10-12, 2014, New Taipei City, Taiwan
Submission Deadline – July 31, 2014
ICEduTech is the scientific conference addressing the real topics as seen by teachers, students, parents and school leaders. Both scientists, professionals and institutional leaders are invited to be informed by experts, sharpen the understanding what education needs and how to achieve it. For complete information and submission guidelines, please visit http://icedutech-conf.org/.
29th IEEE International Parallel & Distributed Processing Symposium - IEEE IPDPS 2015 Call for Workshop Proposals
May 25-29, 2015 - Hyderabad, INDIA
Submission Deadline – August 1, 2014
IPDPS workshops, held on the first and last days of the symposium, provide attendees an opportunity to explore special topics. They also broaden the content of the week's presentations by extending the topics of interest beyond those of the main symposium. IPDPS workshops are a major part of the IPDPS week-long family of events. Attendance at all of the IPDPS workshops, along with receipt of the published proceedings, is included in the registration fee for IPDPS. For more information and proposal submission guidelines, please visit http://www.ipdps.org/.
Upcoming Conferences, Workshops and Webinars
Webinar: Gamification and Faculty Development
July 21m 2014 - 1:00 p.m. ET
With the intention of promoting an active, relevant, and well-attended repertoire of workshops, lectures, activities, and initiatives, the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) at Texas Wesleyan University constantly investigates innovative practices in teaching, learning, and professional development. One of the practices that sparked the interest of staff and recently gained a lot of attention in the teaching and learning literature is gamification. We've just completed the first year of a faculty development system that uses points and badges to track and reward faculty development activities. To register, please visit http://www.worldtimeserver.com/convert_time_in_US-DC.aspx?y=2014&mo=7&d=21&h=13&mn=0.
Linux Clusters Institute (LCI) Workshop
August 4- 8 2014 - National Center for Supercomputing Applications, Urbana Illinois
Early Bird Registration Deadline – July 21, 2914
Linux Clusters Institute (LCI) Workshop, a hands-on workshop that will cover the fundamentals of setting up and administering a high-performance computing (HPC) cluster. LCI is the premier international forum to share information on management, administration, and scientific computing techniques for high-performance computing. For more information, please visit http://www.linuxclustersinstitute.org/workshops/register.html
Oklahoma State University Science Visualization Workshop
Presented by Virtual School of Computational Science and Engineering (VSCSE)
August 25-26, 2014 – Stillwater, Oklahoma
This two-day in-person training will cover all aspects of visualizing data from a broad variety of domains. The training kicks off with an introduction to visualization followed by best practices when dealing with diverse data (abstract and spatial), demonstrating a variety of methods and techniques on those data sets and demonstrating a range of freely available software. For more information, please visit https://www.xsede.org/web/xup/course-calendar/-/training-user/class/290/session/443. For more information on VSCSE, please visit http://www.vscse.org/.
Oklahoma Supercomputing Symposium 2014
September 24, 2014 - University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma
Now in its 13th year, the Oklahoma Supercomputing Symposium is the oldest annual event of its kind in an EPSCoR jurisdiction. Our 2014 keynote speaker will be Irene Qualters Division Director, Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Division, Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate National Science Foundation The 2013 Symposium had 263 attendees, from 29 academic institutions in 10 states and one other country, 25 private companies, 9 government agencies and 5 non-governmental organizations. For more information, please visit http://symposium2014.oscer.ou.edu/.
Research Features From Across the Country and Around the World
Interview With the Most Influential Woman in UK IT 2014: Wendy Hall
ComputerWeekly.com
ComputerWeekly.com has named University of Southampton computer sciences professor Wendy Hall, a former president of ACM and an ACM Fellow, its Most Influential Woman in UK IT 2014. With more than 30 years in the academic side of information technology, Hall has a long list of accomplishments, including being part of the team that invented the Mirocosm hypermedia systems. Hall was the University of Southampton's first female professor of engineering, served as head of its School of Electronics and Computer Science, and was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2009. In an interview, Hall says she feels the underrepresentation of women in IT needs to be treated as an industry issue, rather than simply as a women's issue. To read further, please visit http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240223891/Interview-with-the-Most-Influential-Woman-in-UK-IT-2014-Dame-Wendy-Hall.
22 Of The Most Powerful Women Engineers In The World
CCC Blog
We often hear about the dearth of women in computer science and engineering fields. Many organizations are working hard to attract and retain women in these fields. In an article titled 22 Most Powerful Women Engineers In the World, Business Insider showcases powerful women engineers. From the article: “There’s a huge push these days to encourage more girls to learn to code and to hire more women engineers once they graduate. The tech industry knows it can’t fill all the jobs it has while discouraging half the population from joining the industry. It also knows that it can’t do a good job of designing new tech products for women if women aren’t part of the design process.” To read further, please visit http://www.cccblog.org/2014/07/10/22-of-the-most-powerful-women-engineers-in-the-world/.
TACC’s Ranger Supercomputer Begins New Life
For all the money and effort poured into supercomputers, their life spans can be brutally short – on average about four years. So, what happens to one of the world's greatest supercomputers when it reaches retirement age? If it's the Texas Advanced Computer Center's (TACC) Ranger supercomputer, it continues making an impact in the world. If the system could talk, it might proclaim, "There is life after retirement!" "Ranger was the first supercomputer in open science to approach the petascale mark," said Happy Sithole (pronounced ‘see-toll-yah'), director of the Center for High Performance Computing (CHPC) in Cape Town, South Africa. "Now, it is starting projects that are important in building high performance computing in Africa." To read further, please visit https://www.tacc.utexas.edu/news/feature-stories/2014/ranger-begins-new-life-in-africa.
PSC Expands Networking Capacity to Build 21st Century Data Highway
In the era of “Big Data,” the challenge of moving the vastly expanded data volumes created and needed by today’s researchers has become central. The old network—the equivalent of an overcrowded two-lane road—is giving way to a more flexible, software-defined network that manages itself and talks with users to help them work smarter. PSC has contributed to expanding and managing the hardware “lanes” and “merges” so that large-scale users can avoid the traffic jams—and just as importantly, avoid creating them. The Web10G collaboration between PSC and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications won an NSF grant to create a “dashboard” for networking users. Employing network data extracted by earlier Web10G work, the tool will allow nontechnical users to spot network slowdowns and report them to system administrators for repair. To read further, please visit http://www.psc.edu/index.php/biannual/934-building-a-21st-centry-data-highway.
Computing a Cure for HIV: 9 Ways Supercomputers Help Scientists Understand and Treat the Virus
HIV/AIDS has caused an estimated 36 million deaths, according to the World Health Organization, and remains a major menace worldwide. Today approximately 35 million people are living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), including more than 1 million individuals in the United States. The tendency of HIV to mutate and resist drugs has made it particularly difficult to eradicate. Some treatments have shown progress in slowing or even stopping the progress of the virus, but no cure or vaccine has been discovered that can truly stamp out the disease. To read further, please visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aaron-dubrow/computing-a-cure-for-hiv-_b_5512311.html.
IBM Wants to Make its Watson Supercomputer as Small as a Pizza Box
IDG News Service
IBM researchers are developing handheld computers with the power of today's supercomputers. The researchers recently demonstrated a smartphone-size prototype microcomputer that integrates central-processing units and circuitry typically spread out over large motherboards. In addition, they plan to develop a "datacenter in a box" holding several of these computers, which could lead to even smaller computers, says IBM researcher Ronald Luijten. Eventually, IBM wants to build a version of its Watson supercomputer the size of a pizza box, containing a series of these microcomputers. IBM also is developing a system combining 128 computers into an application-size server that can deliver the same level of performance as servers that are four to 10 times larger.
Educator News and Opportunities
Unprecedented PLTW Growth in California
California’s Project Lead the Way (PLTW) team is achieving unprecedented growth in California. The PLTW network in California has six regional hubs, four affiliate universities, and nearly 700 schools. Of those 700 schools, almost half will offer PLTW for the first time this fall. The number of PLTW schools has doubled between the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years.
While historically an engineering and biomedical science program, PLTW is now moving into computer science. PLTW is developing courses that form a comprehensive computer science pathway and is continuing to increase its offerings in this field. The PLTW program now includes high school and middle school programs and PLTW is beginning to offer elementary curriculum and programs. For more information, please visit https://www.pltw.org/our-programs/launch.
Google Invests $50 Million to Close the Tech Gender Gap
TIME Magazine
Google has promised to do all it can to recruit more women into Silicon Valley, and now the company is launching a $50 million initiative to teach young girls how to code. In May, Google announced that only 17% of its tech employees are women. There will be 1.4 million computing jobs available in 2020, but only 400,000 computer-science graduates from U.S. universities to fill them. Part of the problem is that only 12% of computer-science degrees go to women, and in order for Silicon Valley to survive and thrive, it must be able to recruit more engineering talent from the other 50% of the population. Realizing the extent of the problem, Google is launching Made With Code, a website that includes coding projects, stories from female technology role models and resources for parents. Google has invested a lot more than just money in the project. The company conducted research to determine why girls are opting out of learning how to code: the number of female computer-science majors has dropped dramatically since 1984, when 37% of computer-science degrees went to women. To read further, please visit http://time.com/2901899/google-made-with-code-girls-in-tech/.
Some Universities Crack Code in Drawing Women to Computer Science
New York Times
At Carnegie Mellon University, 40 percent of incoming freshmen to the School of Computer Science are women, the largest group ever. At the University of Washington, another technology powerhouse, women earned 30 percent of computer science degrees this year. At Harvey Mudd College, 40 percent of computer science majors are women, and this year, women represented more than half of the engineering graduates for the first time. These examples provide a road map for how colleges can help produce a more diverse group of computer science graduates. They also help answer a controversial question: Does the substance of computer science instruction need to be adjusted to attract women, or does recruitment and mentorship? To read further, please visit http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/18/upshot/some-universities-crack-code-in-drawing-women-to-computer-science.html?emc=eta1&_r=0.
Louisiana Tech University Online Course -- Steps to STEM: NASA Education Resources for STEM Engagement
Application Deadline – August 30, 2014
Louisiana Tech University is teaming up with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center to offer a 10-week course for educators interested in putting a space-themed twist on learning. The course is designed to be a self-paced, online professional development experience focusing on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, education resources available from NASA. These resources have application methods for use in grades 4-9 classrooms with the goal of advancing high quality STEM education utilizing NASA's unique capabilities. For more information and to enroll in the course, visit http://scitecatlatech.weebly.com/opeo.html.
Common Core Video Series: What You Need to Know as an Educator
The series features 14 videos—developed in partnership with the Hunt Institute—to dispel the myths and provide accurate information about Common Core. The videos also provide various perspectives from educators, administrators, PTA leaders and others on the positive changes they've seen with the standards. The series begins with "The Need for Improved Student Outcomes," a brief overview of the Common Core State Standards. Watch Now For more information and to view the videos, please visit http://www.pta.org/advocacy/content2.cfm?ItemNumber=3008.
$300 Million Adobe ConnectED Software Donation to Title I Educators
Adobe has committed over $300 million in software and professional development services to the White House's ConnectED initiative. As part of this $2 billion+ effort from the private sector, Adobe will deliver creative tools and teacher professional development to schools across the United States—all with the goal of helping youth express their creativity and build their skills for future success If you work in a Title 1 School, you may be eligible to apply for this software donation. To learn more about the Adobe ConnectED donation program for Title 1 schools, please visit http://edex.adobe.com/connected.
Student Engagement and Opportunities
SC14 Student Travel Grants Available For SC14
ACM Application Deadline – August 16, 2014
SIGHPC Application Deadline - September 7, 2014
There are two travel grant opportunities available for students (undergraduates through doctoral) for attending SC14. These grants will provide up to $600US for students in North America and up to $1200US for students outside of North America towards attending this year’s conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. Up to 3 grants may be awarded to female students by ACM-W and up to 5 grants will be awarded by SIGHPC. SIGHPC grants require student membership in SIGHPC; this is not a requirement for ACM-W grants. Additional information and links to the application sites are available at www.sighpc.org/resources/travel. Please address questions concerning these grants to students@sighpc.org.
SEDE Campus Champion Fellows Announced
The Fellows program partners Campus Champions with Extended Collaborative Support Services (ECSS) staff and research teams to work side-by-side on research projects. The Fellows develop a high level of expertise within a particular aspect of what XSEDE has to offer for them to then share with the students, administrators, staff and faculty on their respective campuses. The Fellows are: Hadrian Djohari (Case Western), Justin Oelgoetz (Austin Peay State), Brian Couger (Oklahoma State) and Neranjan Edirisinghe (Georgia State). For more information on the Fellows and the projects on which they are working, please visit: https://www.xsede.org/ccfellows/projects/2014.
2014 Humans in Space Art Video Challenge
Submission Deadline – November 15, 2014
The Humans in Space Art Program and NASA's International Space Station Program have teamed up to launch the international Humans in Space Art Challenge. How will humans use space science and technology to benefit humanity? College students and early career professionals are invited to ponder this question and to express an answer creatively in a video less than three minutes long. Video artwork can be of any style, featuring original animation, sketches, music, live action drama, poetry, dance, Rube Goldberg machines, apps, etc. Younger students may also participate, but all artwork will be judged in one age category. For additional information and a complete list of guidelines, please visit http://www.lpi.usra.edu/humansinspaceart/challenge/.
REGISTRATION OPEN: Zero Robotics High School Tournament 2014
Competition Registration Deadline – September 6, 2014
The Zero Robotics High School Tournament 2014 will take place this fall, offering U. S. high school students the opportunity to design experiments that will be tested in space. Zero Robotics challenges high school student teams to write their own algorithms to fly the Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites, or SPHERES. The competition starts online where teams compete to solve an annual challenge guided by mentors. Students can create, edit, share, save, simulate and submit code from a Web browser. After several phases of virtual competition, finalists will be selected to compete in a live championship aboard the International Space Station. For more information about the tournament and to register your team to participate, visit http://www.zerorobotics.mit.edu.
$50 Million Google Coding Initiative Targets Girls
Google has launched a $50 million initiative to inspire more high school girls to pursue programming careers in order to close a yawning gap between supply and demand, according to Google vice president Megan Smith. "We hope to show girls that coding is fun," she says. The goal of the Made with Code effort is to demolish the stereotype of programming as a tedious and isolating technical chore and build up an image of a profession that applies to a vast number of fields. "The issue of role models is a big one, and [Made with Code] represents a new, comprehensive effort to provide just that," says Chelsea Clinton, who spoke at the project's kickoff event To read further, please visit http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/06/19/google-coding-initiative-targets-girls/10785475/.
UC Berkeley Information School Team App for West African Fishermen Snags Sustainable Fishing Prize
A team of four students and alumni from the University of California, Berkeley's School of Information has won the grand prize of the Fishackathon programming challenge. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the event brought together participants from across the country in a competition to develop creative solutions for the sustainable management of fisheries and the protection of oceans. The teams addressed challenges facing small fisheries such as overfishing, illegal fishing, lack of resources, and the degradation of the marine environment. For more information, please visithttp://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2014/06/18/information-school-team-app-for-west-african-fishermen-snags-sustainable-fishing-prize/.
STEM Pipeline Problems to Aid STEM Diversity
Brown University
Brown University scientists have written a paper suggesting four research-based ideas to lead more underrepresented minority students into science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers, based on an analysis of the STEM pipeline. Representation of minorities in STEM college degrees and Ph.D.'s diminishes over time, with many of those entering the programs not completing them. "That pipeline we've laid? We're stuffing it but the yield is less than we expect," says Brown professor Andrew G. Campbell. "That's because it's not a horizontal pipeline, it's a vertical one. You can't just stuff it and walk away." Among incoming college freshmen, similar proportions of underrepresented minority (URM) and non-URM students express interest in STEM subjects, but URM students are less likely to graduate in STEM subjects. To read further, please visit http://news.brown.edu/articles/2014/06/stem.
Faculty Opportunities
NASA Call for Proposals -- Innovative Early Stage Technology
NASA is seeking proposals from universities to advance the agency's plans for exploration to deep space and Mars. The Early Stage Innovations NASA Research Announcement calls for innovative space technology proposals that could benefit the space program, other government agencies and the greater aerospace community. Researchers will investigate transformative space technologies in areas such as advanced thermal protection materials modeling, computational materials, in situ use of asteroid materials, mobile robotic surface probe concepts for planetary exploration, kinetic penetrators for icy planetary moons and advanced technology habitat system designs for continued human exploration of space. For more information about NASA's investments in space technology, visit http://www.nasa.gov/spacetech.
The Lighter Side – Computational News and Information of Interest
Innovations Software Would Make 3D Maps Using Smartphones|Columbus Dispatch
Researchers at the University of Minnesota and Google have developed software that can create a three-dimensional (3D) map with a smartphone. The software enables the phone's camera and motion sensor to work together to create a grid of data points that become a 3D image. The research is part of Google's Project Tango, a smartphone specifically optimized for 3D mapping. "We will soon be able to get smartphone directions for how to go from one place to another in a building, such as how to go from the entrance to my classroom," says University of Minnesota professor Stergios Roumeliotis. To read further, please visit http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2014/03/24/software-would-make-3-d-maps-using-smartphones.html
