HPC Happenings
Open Science Data Cloud Fellowship Applications due April 15, 2013
Travel abroad with OSDC-PIRE Fellowship Summer 2013 The Open Science Data Cloud PIRE project provides international research and education experiences through training and study at universities and research institutes around the world with leading scientists in the field of computing. Our goal is to increase the participants with expertise in managing and analyzing data. The creation of a strong cadre of researchers with a global perspective on scientific data management will support research endeavors in many other areas vital to the USA International Collaboration. For more information, submission guidelines and to apply, please visit http://pire.opensciencedatacloud.org/pire-fellowship/osdc-pire-faq/.
NCSI Summer Workshops 2013
These workshops are offered with funding provided by the National Science Foundation through the XSEDE program, and with additional funds from NCSI. As such, there in no fee to attend any NCSI/XSEDE workshop this year. Meals and breaks during the workshop will be provided to all participants. While most participants are expected to be within commuting distance of the workshop location, a limited number of spaces in each workshop will be available for those traveling to a workshop from a greater distance and who would need housing. For those accepted to a workshop, this housing (double occupancy) will be provided at no cost to the participant. Those requesting single occupancy will be responsible for the difference. Subject to funding, a limited number of travel scholarships may also be available to more distant faculty interested in attending the workshops. The scholarships will provide partial or full reimbursement of travel costs to and from the workshops. Preference will be given to faculty from institutions that are formally engaged with the XSEDE education program and to those who can provide some matching travel funds. Recipients are expected to be present for the full workshop. Those interested in a travel scholarship should complete the scholarship application, which can be submitted after you apply for the workshop and is available from the page where you review your application. For more information and a complete list of summer workshops, please visit http://computationalscience.org/workshops2013.
ACS Course on Computational Chemistry and Molecular Simulation
May 20-23, 2013 – University of Dayton
Over the course of 4 days, gain a breadth of knowledge of the fundamentals of modern computational methods available for chemical, biological, and materials research. Hear from leading authorities how computational methods are being used to design new materials and learn from hands-on computer exercises how to use major software programs in computational chemistry and molecular simulation. For more information, please visit http://proed.acs.org/course-catalog/courses/CCMS/.
HPC Call for Participation
Big Data for Science – Call for Sites
July 8-10, 2013
Each VSCSE course includes up to nine satellite sites that participate in the course through high-definition video conferencing. These remote sites typically host 25 - 35 students, and are a way for the host institutions to quickly enhance their computational science and engineering capacity and community by making each course accessible to a number of people from the surrounding area. We also ask that local sites host some out-of-town students, providing a chance for students to network with people who have similar interests. For more information, please visit http://www.vscse.org/callforsites.html.
Students Invited to Attend XSEDE13
Multiple ways for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students to get involved
July 21-25, 2013 – San Diego, California
Application Deadlines - April 12, 2013 (various deadlines)
Students interested or engaged in computational research are encouraged to attend and participate in the Student Program at XSEDE13, the annual conference focused on science, education, outreach, software, and technology related to the National Science Foundation’s eXtreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment. For more information on how you can participate, please visit https://www.xsede.org/web/xsede13/students..
The 2013 IEEE/ACM International Conference on Advances in Social Networks
Analysis and Mining (ASONAM 2013) – Call for Participation
August 25-28, 2013 - Niagara Falls, Canada
Full Paper Submission Deadline - April 15, 2013
The international conference on Advances in Social Network Analysis and Mining (ASONAM 2013) will primarily provide an interdisciplinary venue that will bring together practitioners and researchers from a variety of SNAM fields to promote collaborations and exchange of ideas and practices. ASONAM 2013 is intended to address important aspects with a specific focus on the emerging trends and industry needs associated with social networking analysis and mining. The conference solicits experimental and theoretical works on social network analysis and mining along with their application to real life situations. For more information and submission guidelines, please visit http://asonam.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/index.php.
SC13 - Call for Technical Papers
November 17 - 22, 2013 - Denver, Colorado
Full Papers Due – April 12, 2013
SC13, the premier annual international conference on high-performance computing, networking, and storage, will be held in Denver, Colorado, USA, November 17-22, 2013. The Technical Papers Program at SC is the leading venue for presenting the highest-quality original research, from the foundations of HPC to its emerging frontiers. The conference committee solicits submissions of excellent scientific merit that introduce new ideas to the field and stimulate future trends on topics such as applications, systems, parallel algorithms, and performance modeling. SC also welcomes submissions that make significant contributions to the "state of the practice" by providing compelling insights on best practices for provisioning, using, and enhancing high-performance computing systems, services, and facilities. For more information and submission guidelines, please visit http://sc13.supercomputing.org/content/papers.
Upcoming Conferences and Workshops.
Python for Scientists and Engineers by Enthought
April 22-26, 2013 – La Jolla, California
Enthought's training services are geared toward scientists, engineers, and analysts who would like to learn how to use Python in their specific work environments. Our targeted courses address both the scientific and the programming-related challenges of working in Python. For detailed information of the entire course, intended audience and registration, please visit http://www.enthought.com/training/python_for_scientists.php.
The Fourth International Green Computing Conference (IGCC13)
June 27-29, 2013 - Arlington, Virginia
IGCC13 will provide a forum for presenting and discussing innovative research on a broad range of topics in the fields of sustainable and energy-efficient computing, and computing for a more sustainable planet. The conference will hold a technical program, panels, workshops, and tutorials on these topics. IGCC13 will be technically co-sponsored by the IEEE. For complete workshop information, please visit http://cm.wsu.edu/ehome/index.php?eventid=51862&.
SDSC 2013 Summer Institute: Discover Big Data
August 5-9, 2013 – La Jolla, California
This year the SDSC Discover Big Data Summer Institute will focus on big data analytics, helping attendees explore their data using a wide variety of predictive data analytics tools. This weeklong summer institute combines both presentations and hands-on experience to introduce attendees to the latest approaches and tools to extract meaning and new insights from very large data sets. Participants will use SDSC’s Gordon data-intensive supercomputer as well as other computational resources at SDSC. An agenda and schedule will be posted in the coming months, but please hold the date now so you can attend! We also welcome expressions of interest by individuals and companies who would like to lecture, sponsor student attendees, or provide other forms of support for the institute. For more information, please visit http://www.sdsc.edu/Events/summerinstitute/index.html.
Extreme Scaling Workshop
August 15-16, 2013 – Boulder, Colorado
The NSF funded Blue Waters and eXtreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE) projects are hosting the seventh in a series of Extreme Scaling workshops. Scientists, engineers, scholars, and high-performance technologists from colleges, universities, laboratories, industry, HPC centers, and other organizations conducting related to this type of work are encouraged to submit presentations. Workshop proceedings will be produced that will include the accepted papers and white papers and a summary of recommendations from the discussions among the presenters and participants. Send submissions to Scott Lathrop at lathrop@illinois.edu by May 15, 2013. Notice of acceptances will be issued by June 1, 2013. Further information on this year's Extreme Scaling Workshop can be found at https://www.xsede.org/web/xscale/xscale13.
2013 SACNAS National Conference
October 3–6, 2013 - San Antonio, Texas
SACNAS is a way for you to expose your students to incredible resources and the validating and inspiring environment of SACNAS where they have the unique opportunity to engage with science, culture, and community. The SACNAS National Conference also provides an important place for you to recharge as a professional, as you connect with peers, build your own networks, and recruit new students. For complete conference information, please visit http://sacnas.org/events/national-conf?.
Research Features From Across the Country and Around the World
NICS Researchers Explore How Certain Proteins with Roles in HIV and Cancer Change Form and Latch Onto Cell Membranes
Proteins can play either pernicious or positive roles in the dynamics of disease. XSEDE is aiding researchers in determining why some proteins that anchor to cell membranes promote the development of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), while some proteins thwart the growth of cancer. Hirsh Nanda of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is leading the multi-institution research team using XSEDE-allocated Kraken supercomputer at the National Institute for Computational Sciences (NICS) to find answers to this question. To read further, please visit http://www.nics.tennessee.edu/hirsh-nanda-2013.
University of California Researchers Discover Pocket Full of Promise
Researchers from the University of California (UC) are using XSEDE advanced computing resources to discover new target docking site for cancer drugs. Tumor protein 53 (p53) regulates the body's cell cycle and suppresses tumors. Rommie Amaro, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UC, and her team of UC Irvine biologists, chemists, and computer scientists discovered a pocket for reactivating the mutant p53 gene in human cells through simulations run on XSEDE-allocated Ranger supercomputer at the Texas Advanced Computing Center. To read further, please visit http://www.tacc.utexas.edu/news/feature-stories/2013/pocket-full-of-promise.
| Five TACC Researchers Power a World of Discovery with Stampede (video) |
| In this video, meet the five principal investigators from TACC who made Stampede a reality — Jay Boisseau, Dan Stanzione, Tommy Minyard, Karl Schulz and Bill Barth — and learn about the evolution of Stampede from concept to competition to deployment. To view the video, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f174GjUY1K4&feature=youtu.be. | |
Educator Opportunities and Information
Why Creativity Matters to Education
Sir Ken Robinson spoke this month in California at both the Educating for Careers Conference in Sacramento and the CUE (Computer Using Educators) conference in Palm Springs. He has a compelling message to share with educators, one that has been captured on video. To view the video, please visit http://www.adobe-creativity.com/?trackingid=KEPYJ.
HHMI Gives $22 Million to National Teaching Training Network
Science
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is giving $22.5 million to expand a network of universities that have adopted the same approach to training U.S. math and science teachers. The award, to be highlighted at a White House ceremony this afternoon, is going to the Texas-based National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI). Formed in 2007 as a follow-up to a National Academies report that recommended a national effort to draw more science and math majors into teaching, NMSI has focused on scaling up a teacher preparation program developed at the University of Texas, Austin, called UTeach. The UTeach program, which began in 1997, is now being replicated at 35 universities that range from elite institutions such as the University of California, Berkeley, to lesser-known schools such as Columbus State University in Georgia. Getting top research universities to embrace their role in training elementary and secondary school science and math teachers hasn't been easy, says Tom Luce, chair of NMSI and a former Education Department official under President George W. Bush. On Friday, Luce told the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology that most graduate deans are focused on preparing future Nobel Prize winners. "I realize that is important," he said, "but they also need to train the next generation of K-12 science teachers." To read further, please visit http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/03/hhmi-gives-22-million-to-nationa-1.html.
Top Universities Will Help Train STEM Teachers
Scientific American
A group of Tier 1 research universities — the Stanfords, Harvards and MITs of the world – will join the White House-led effort to train 100,000 new math and science teachers by the year 2022. A $22.5 million gift from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), announced by the White House Monday morning, will make it possible to expand a successful teacher-training program called UTeach to 10 top research schools over the next five years. “Historically, Tier 1 universities have not been focused on turning out teachers through their science and math departments,” said Tom Luce, the founding CEO and chairman of the National Math and Science Initiative, the group that is leading the expansion effort, in an interview following Monday morning’s announcement. They are focused on turning out PhD students, and they will continue to do so, he said, but the gift will help emphasize that educating new teachers is a mission that all universities “need to embrace if we’re going to reach our goal.” To read further, please visit http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/budding-scientist/2013/03/18/top-universities-will-help-train-stem-teachers/.
Student Engagement and Information
REU in Data Intensive Computing
June 3- July 26, 2013 – Clemson University
Join us in Clemson, South Carolina, for a cutting-edge undergraduate research experience in data-intensive computing! Data-intensive research is characterized by the need to efficiently acquire, store, transmit, manipulate, visualize, search, and analyze massive data sets. In recent years, investment in large-scale high-performance computing infrastructure has enabled an exciting opportunity to address "Big Data!" problems that are becoming increasingly common in nearly every area of science and technology. Students will be matched with a faculty mentor at the beginning of the REU program, and each student will participate in a focused research project. We have a large team of experienced faculty mentors working with this REU who supervise research in a broad range of data-intensive computing areas, from algorithms and data mining/analytics to high-performance computing platforms to the software infrastructure required to support data-intensive applications. For more information and to apply, please visit http://people.cs.clemson.edu/~bcdean/reu/index.html.
Faculty Opportunities
NSF Earth Science Postdoctoral Fellowship
Full Proposal Deadline – July 15, 2013
The Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) awards Postdoctoral Fellowships to recent recipients of doctoral degrees for research and training in topics relevant to Earth sciences. The fellows must develop and implement 1) research projects that seek to address scientific questions within the purview of EAR programs and 2) plans to broaden participation in Earth sciences. The program supports researchers for a period of up to 2 years with fellowships that can be taken to the institution of their choice (including facilities abroad). The program is intended to recognize beginning investigators of significant potential, and provide them with research experience, mentorship, and training that will establish them in leadership positions in the Earth Sciences community. Because the fellowships are offered only to postdoctoral scientists early in their career, doctoral advisors are encouraged to discuss the availability of EAR postdoctoral fellowships with their graduate students early in their doctoral programs. Fellowships are awards to individuals, not institutions, and are administered by the Fellows. For more information and full submission guidelines, please visit http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/nsf13548/nsf13548.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click.
On the Lighter Side: Computational News of Interest
Web Browsers Consider Limiting How Much They Track Users
Washington Post
Internet browser companies are increasingly implementing privacy controls that could limit the ability of advertisers to track users. The trend is being driven largely by market forces, rather than governmental action. The maker of Firefox, for example, currently is experimenting with new restrictions on the use of cookies. However, some are concerned that Internet companies could turn to more advanced tools that would allow tracking to continue or even expand. "We’re at the risk of an arms race here," says Ohio State University professor Peter Swire. "This could break the Internet. It interferes with existing browsing modules, and it puts bigger pressure on users to take escalating steps to protect their privacy." Firefox's experiments with limiting cookies also intensified debate about the importance of online tracking to the smooth functioning of the Internet, and it has raised alarms in the advertising world. Swire is leading an Obama administration initiative called Do Not Track, which was launched to find ways to give consumers an easy way to block Web tracking. However, the effort has so far failed to find a middle ground between the Internet industry and privacy advocates. To read further, please visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/web-browsers-consider-limiting-how-much-they-track-users/2013/03/14/94818d22-8bed-11e2-9f54-f3fdd70acad2_story.html.
Internet's 'Bad Neighborhoods' Spread Scams and Spam
BBC News
University of Twente researchers recently conducted a study of more than 42,000 Internet service providers (ISPs) in an attempt to map the Internet's "bad neighborhoods" to help pinpoint sources of malicious email. The researchers found that, in many cases, ISPs specialize in particular threats such as spam and phishing. Some networks can be classed as "bad neighborhoods" because they are places where malicious activity is more likely, according to University of Twente researchers Moreira Moura and Giovane Cesar. Of the 42,201 ISPs studied, about 50 percent of all junk email, phishing attacks, and other malicious messages came from just 20 networks, many of which were concentrated in Brazil, India, and Vietnam. The research is helping to create analysis tools that will do a better job of assessing whether traffic coming from sources never seen before is good or bad. To read further, please visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21798829.
Netflix Offers $100,000 for Cloud Computing Improvements
PCMag.com
Netflix recently launched the Netflix Cloud Prize, an open competition challenging global developers to improve the features, usability, quality, reliability, and security of cloud computing. Netflix will award $100,000 to the winning teams. The competition is divided into 10 categories, and it will be judged by a panel of independent, renowned technology pioneers. "The Netflix Cloud Prize is designed to improve understanding of what it takes to build native applications for the cloud that take full advantage of the opportunities for scalable computing," says Netflix's Neil Hunt. "No doubt many of the key ideas that will take it to the next level have yet to be conceived, explored, and developed." The Netflix Cloud Prize will run through Sept. 15 and the winners will be announced in October. To read further, please visit http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2416613,00.asp.
