HPC Happenings
Genevieve Bell to Give SC13 Keynote Address
Australian anthropologist and researcher Genevieve Bell will give the keynote at SC13. Recently named one of the top 50 most creative people in Business (Fast Company), Genevieve Bell is an Intel Fellow and director of the Interaction and Experience Research Group within the Intel Labs. Bell joined Intel in 1998 and has come to lead an R&D team of social scientists, interaction designers and human factors engineers to drive human-centric product innovation in Intel's consumer electronics business. Prior to joining Intel, Bell was a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at Stanford University. To view her recent TED conference talk, please visit http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDxSydney-Genevieve-Bell-The-V?goback=.gde_1775643_member_268202594#!.
SC13 Broader Engagement Program Announcement
As in previous years, the Broader Engagement (BE) Program’s goal is to increase the participation of individuals from groups that have been traditionally under-represented in HPC. In 2013, SC is enhancing our program activities to strengthen our intent for BE to be an “On Ramp” for the Technical Program. Consistent with these ideas, SC is organizing their funded participants into two tracks: On-Ramp (formerly known as the "standard" track) and Superhighway (formerly known as the "advanced track"). Competitive grants will be awarded to participants in both tracks. They expect the majority of funded On-Ramp participants to be new to HPC, to participate fully in BE, and to stay through at least the end of Thursday to experience the Technical Program. SC expects the majority of funded Superhighway participants to have HPC experience, to participate in the SC13 Tutorials, and to at least partially fund themselves. They will provide mentoring to help Superhighway participants find external funding. Each of these groups will benefit from a diverse line-up of top-flight speakers from industry, academia, and government laboratories. Consistent with the aim of serving as a pipeline, SC is making shifts in the BE schedule and activities prior to, during, and after SC13. For example, both their Student and our Faculty/Professional application deadlines are now six weeks prior to the SC13 poster submission deadline. This will facilitate leveraging the Mentor/Protégé program to provide pre-submission mentoring to those submitting posters. Consistent with this, they are adjusting the focus of the Mentor/Protégé program to center around mentoring that leads to participation in the SC Technical Program. The hope is that broader academic- and career-oriented mentoring will happen as a natural by-product, but their goal is to serve the HPC research community directly and intently by expanding it. To learn more, please visit http://sc13.supercomputing.org/content/broader-engagement-1.
Power Up Your Research: XSEDE Seminars in Washington, DC
September 9, 2013 – Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel
September 10, 2013 – George Washington University
The Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE) is the most advanced, powerful, and robust collection of integrated advanced digital resources and services in the world. It is a single virtual system that scientists and educators can use to interactively share computing resources, data, and expertise. Scientists and engineers around the world use these resources and services—things like supercomputers, collections of data, and new tools—to make our lives healthier, safer, and better. XSEDE, and the experts who lead the program, will make these resources easier to use and help more people use them. Register for these opportunities at the XSEDE training calendar - https://www.xsede.org/web/xup/course-calendar. If you don’t have an XSEDE portal account, you will be prompted to create one before you can register.
Missouri University Science & Technology Rolla Research Tech Day
September 9-10, 2013 - Rolla,, Missouri
Research Technology Day at S&T is an annual conference designed to expose attendees to a sampling from the broad spectrum of technologies that facilitate research activities and promote collaboration within the research technology community. This conference is free to attend and features presentations, workshops, and networking opportunities. For more information, please visit http://researchtechnologyday.mst.edu/.
In the News
San Diego Supercomputer Center, SD Technology Launch IT Services Under Sherlock Brand
A local San Diego small business and the San Diego Supercomputer Center at University of California, San Diego are taking computer services to market using the Sherlock brand. The partners announced the name in Baltimore recently at the National Association for Medicaid Program Integrity conference. Sherlock can help clients in the health care and government sectors solve their most vexing problems, the team said. For more information, please visit http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Supercomputer-Center-SD-Technology-Launch-IT-Services-Under-Sherlock-Brand--220668911.html.
HPC Conference Call for Participation
DISCS-2013 at SC13 – Call for Papers
November 18, 2013 - Denver Colorado
Submission Deadline – August 30, 3013
Held in conjunction with The 2013 ACM/IEEE Supercomputing Conference (SC13)
The second International Workshop on Data Intensive Scalable Computing Systems (DISCS) provides a forum for researchers and other
interested people in the areas of data intensive computing and high performance parallel computing to exchange ideas and discuss approaches
for addressing the challenges facing Big Data or data intensivencomputing at large scale. For submission guidelines, please visit http://ft.ornl.gov/discs-2013/?q=submission. For more information on the conference, please visit http://ft.ornl.gov/discs-2013/.
CISP-BMEI 2013 - Call for Participation
December 16-18, 2013 - Hangzhou, China
Submission Deadline – August 30, 2013 [Submitting to IEEE Xplore/ISI/Ei]
The 2013 6th International Congress on Image and Signal Processing (CISP 2013) and the 2013 6th International Conference on BioMedical Engineering and Informatics (BMEI 2013) will be jointly held in Hangzhou, China. CISP-BMEI 2013 is a premier international forum for scientists and researchers to present the state-of-the-art of multimedia, signal processing, biomedical engineering and informatics and to discuss future research challenges. Co-locating two conferences we aim to promote collaboration among multiple areas, especially the interactions of engineering, computing, and medicine. To promote international participation of researchers from outside the country/region where the conference is held (i.e., China’s mainland), researchers outside of China’s mainland are encouraged to propose invited sessions. For more information, please visit http://cispbmei2013.hznu.edu.cn/.
Upcoming Conferences and Workshops
XSEDE HPC Workshop Series: MPI (On Stampede)
September 4-5, 2013 – Austin, Texas plus satellite locations
These workshops are very hands-on, and use the foremost available platforms for their subject matter. They are a continuation of the previously oversubscribed XSEDE remote workshops and an effort to reduce the backlog of demand while maintaining the quality. The updated schedule for the remainder of the series will be sent around soon. Address any questions regarding course content to John Urbanic (urbanic@psc.edu) and questions regarding registration to Tom Maiden (tmaiden@psc.edu).
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?.
SC13
November 17 - 22, 2013 - Denver, Colorado
SC13, the premier annual international conference on high-performance computing, networking, and storage, will be held in Denver, Colorado. 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. For more information, please visit http://sc13.supercomputing.org/content/papers.
Research Features From Across the Country and Around the World
Stanford Tries to Improve 'Do Not Track' Browser Privacy
CSO Online
Stanford University recently launched the Cookie Clearinghouse, an online privacy initiative designed to complement the Do Not Track Internet privacy development effort. The Cookie Clearinghouse is expected to improve browser reliability in determining whether a cookie planted by a site is meant only for tracking. The goal behind Do Not Track is to give users the option of not having their movements on the Web logged by a Web site or ad network. The clearinghouse will create an "allow" list and a "block" list that browsers can incorporate to more accurately distinguish between cookies, according to Stanford's Center for Internet and Society director of privacy Aleecia M. McDonald. To read further, please visit http://www.csoonline.com/article/735181/stanford-tries-to-improve-do-not-track-browser-privacy.
Linux Continues to Rule Supercomputers
ZDNet
Linux continues to dominate the list of the world's fastest supercomputers and there is no reason to think that will change anytime soon. The latest Top500 supercomputer list reveals that 476 of the fastest machines run some version of Linux, including the top 43 on the list. The 44th fastest supercomputer, the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts box, runs IBM's AIX Unix variant. Three supercomputers run Windows, with the fastest being the Magic Cube at the Shanghai Supercomputer Center, at 187th. The real surprise is that the Tianhe-2 in China came in with more than twice the performance of the top-rated system at the end of November 2012, and did it on Intel chips. To read further, please visit http://www.zdnet.com/linux-continues-to-rule-supercomputers-7000016968/.
Purdue University Builds Nation's Fastest Campus Supercomputer
Purdue University News
Purdue University recently unveiled Conte, the highest-ranking campus supercomputer on the latest Top500 list of international supercomputers. Conte surpasses the U.S.'s previous fastest university-owned leading machine, Carter, which was built in 2011 and is still in operation at Purdue. "The reason we do this is because our faculty have a constantly growing need for more and faster computational resources," says Purdue professor Gerry McCartney. Conte recorded a sustained, measured maximum speed of 943.38 teraflops and a peak performance of 1.342 petaflops. Conte will be used for several different research projects, including one on atmospheric gases that contribute to global warming. "The more of those interactions you account for in your calculations, the closer it gets you to the real interactions in the atmosphere," says Purdue professor Joseph Francisco. To read further, please visit http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2013/Q2/purdue-builds-nations-fastest-campus-supercomputeragain.html.
Educator Information and Opportunities
2014 Space Exploration Educators Conference
February 6-8, 2014 – Houston, Texas
The 20th Annual Space Exploration Educators Conference, or SEEC, is taking place at Space Center Houston. The goal of SEEC is to encourage K-12 educators to use space to teach all subjects in their classrooms. Over 700 educators gather for this event each year. For more information, visit http://spacecenter.org/education-programs/teacher-programs/teachers-seec/.
There's Still Time to Apply to Become a Curator of NGSS Resources
Application Deadline – August 31, 2013
NSTA is forming a group of experts to identify resources that will help teachers implement the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). These resources will be featured on a new NGSS@NSTA Portal currently under development. Approximately 50 educators will be selected to be a curator, and each will focus on a particular topic in the NGSS. We especially need curators with expertise in physical science and Earth and space science at the elementary level. Curators will receive free NSTA membership as well as registration and travel expenses to an NSTA conference for specialized professional development on evaluating NGSS resources. For more information, please visit http://www.nsta.org/about/standardsupdate/curators.aspx. To apply to be an NGSS@NSTA Curator, please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BTSB7T6. Questions? Contact Ted Willard at twillard@nsta.org.
Great Plains Network Announces Professional Development Webcasts for 2013
September 20, 2013 - 10AM Central:
October 18, 2013 - 10AM Central:
The Great Plains Network (GPN) announces the first three speakers for the fall, 2013, web-based Professional Development Program. The GPN Professional Development Program was instituted in the Fall of 2011 to bring high quality, one-hour web-based presentations on timely developments in advanced cyberinfrastructure, information technology and networking to members of the higher education community, including researchers, faculty and staff. The presentations are free, open to the entire higher education community and are intended to foster a shared understanding of new technologies and facilitate the adoption of game-changing CI acrossmthe region. More information about how to virtually attend each program, speaker biographies, intended audience and recordings from past Professional Development Programs may be found atmhttp://www.greatplains.net/display/Home/Professional+Development+Program.
Student Engagement and Information
Fifth Annual Robotic Mining Competition - Registration Opens
May 19-23, 2014 - Kennedy Space Center
NASA’s Fifth Annual NASA Robotic Mining Competition is for university-level students to design and build a mining robot that can traverse the simulated Martian chaotic terrain, excavate Martian regolith and deposit the regolith into a Collector Bin within 10 minutes. There is particular relevance to NASA’s recently announced mission to find an asteroid by 2016 and then bring it to Cis-Lunar space. The technology concepts developed by the university teams for this competition conceivably could be used to mine resources on Asteroids as well as Mars. NASA will directly benefit from the competition by encouraging the development of innovative excavation concepts from universities which may result in clever ideas and solutions which could be applied to an actual excavation device or payload. The unique physical properties of basaltic regolith and the reduced 1/3rd gravity make excavation a difficult technical challenge. Advances in Martian mining have the potential to significantly contribute to our nation’s space vision and NASA space exploration operations. For more information, please visit http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/centers/kennedy/technology/nasarmc.html. To register, please visit https://www.spacegrant.org/forms/?form=nasarmc.
RASC-AL: 2014 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts-Academic Linkage Competition
Notice of Intent Deadline - November 8, 2013
Abstract Deadline - January 19, 2014
Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts - Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) is a student design competition that is sponsored by NASA and managed by the National Institute of Aerospace. RASC-AL was formed to provide university-level engineering students with the opportunity to design human scale architecture concepts based on NASA engineering challenges as well as offer NASA access to new research and design projects by students. RASC-AL is open to undergraduate and graduate university-level students studying fields with applications to human space exploration (i.e., aerospace, bio-medical, electrical, and mechanical engineering; and life, physical, and computer sciences). RASC-AL projects allow students to incorporate their coursework into real aerospace design concepts and work together in a team environment. Interdisciplinary teams are encouraged. For more information, please visit www.NIAnet.org/rascal
Tapia Conference Travel Scholarships
Scholarship Deadline - September 12, 2013
February 5-8, 2014 – Seattle, Washington
The Tapia Conference provides scholarships for students (undergraduate/graduate), post-docs and a limited number for faculty. Scholarships include conference registration, meals during the conference, hotel accommodations, and a reimbursable travel stipend. Tapia scholarships are generously funded by government and industry organizations. The Scholarship Committee realizes that an applicant’s level of accomplishment in computer science will vary for different students, particularly graduate and undergraduate students; however, a commitment to pursuing a career in computer science is an important part of the Tapia Conference experience. As examples, grades, level research experience, and recommendation letters may each play a different role in indicating an applicant’s interest in growing in the discipline. For more information on how to apply, please visit http://tapiaconference.org/participate/scholarships.
Sidney Fernbach Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Computing Sciences
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has long been a leader in high performance and scientific computing. We continue that tradition by offering the Sidney Fernbach postdoctoral fellowship, which will be awarded to one outstanding candidate with exceptional talent, scientific track record, and potential for significant achievements in computational mathematics, scientific computing, or computer science. Fernbach Fellows have the freedom to pursue their own research agenda in a cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research environment with accomplished researchers and a world-class HPC environment. Find out more and apply at https://computation.llnl.gov/fernbach-postdoctoral-fellowship
Computer Scientist Postdoc Fellow- High Performance Scientific Data Management and Processing
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory - Req #76206
The Science Software Systems Group has an immediate opening for a postdoctoral researcher to conduct applied research in the area of high performance scientific data management and processing. The overall objectives for this work are to develop and deploy technologies that automate data movement and sharing from experiment through processing to sharing/dissemination. The project will focus on experimental data being collected at the Advanced Light Source (ALS): moving data to the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) across the Energy Sciences Network (ESnet), assembling automated processing workflows comprised of a variety of pre-existing and to-be-developed data analysis, manipulation, and visualization tools; stage data, data products, and analysis/visualization products for dissemination to individuals and communities via pre-existing and to-be-developed web-based technologies. For more information, please visit
https://lbl.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=76206.
Faculty Opportunities
US Ignite: Seeking Next-Generation Public Sector Applications for Ultra-Fast, Programmable Networks
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing its intentions to build upon the success of previous US Ignite awards and accept additional EAGER proposals or requests for supplemental funding that extend existing CISE projects to include demonstrations with direct relevance to the US Ignite initiative. Such submissions must be consistent with the guidance given in this letter and in the NSF Proposal and Award Policies Guide (PAPPG; see http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf13001/index.jsp). NSF is currently emphasizing the development of public sector gigabit applications in areas of national priority: advanced manufacturing, clean energy and transportation, cyber learning, health IT, and public safety/emergency preparedness. The expectation is that applications supported under this DCL would showcase new, near-term (within two years) possibilities for gigabit networks in support of these priority areas. Projects supported under this DCL should be able to demonstrate, and perform early evaluations of, the application value in the context of an anchor institution, campus, or city. For more information, please visit http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/nsf13121/nsf13121.jsp?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click.
Career Opportunities
Senior Applications Systems Analyst
University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center
The Senior Application Systems Analyst is responsible for providing technical production support and system administration to ensure optimum system performance and resolution of technical issues that impact the utilization of applications/systems throughout the institution. The Senior Application Systems Analyst provides technical expertise in defining, developing, implementing, and supporting solutions for business/clinical applications at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. For more information, please visit http://jobs.mdanderson.org/houston/information-technology/jobid4100844-sr-applications-sys-analyst-jobs.
On the Lighter Side - Computational News of Interest
Cheap, Color, Holographic Video
MIT News
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab have developed a way to create holograms that could significantly lower the cost of color holographic-video displays and boost conventional 2D display resolution. Media Lab graduate student Daniel Smalley created an optical chip that costs about $10, which he is using to create a prototype color holographic-video display with a resolution that approximates that of a standard-definition TV. He says the display will update video images 30 times per second, creating the illusion of motion. Smalley's work builds on Media Lab professor Stephen Benton's Mark-II display, which uses acousto-optic modulation to send carefully engineered sound waves through a tellurium dioxide crystal. Smalley uses a much smaller crystal of lithium niobate, and creates microscopic channels called waveguides just under the crystal's surface, with a metal electrode on each waveguide. To read further, please visit http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2013/cheap-color-holographic-video-0619.html.
Microsoft Revs Speedier, Smarter Speech Recognition for Phones
CNet
Microsoft researchers say they achieved meaningful improvements in the accuracy and speed of speech technology recognition for smartphones. The researchers say the acoustic model in Microsoft's speech recognition technology has been replaced with a computation model that mimics the way the brain works. The novel approach applies deep neural networks to speech recognition. Microsoft says users in the United States who are composing a text message or searching via Bing with their voices will see results twice as fast as they did with its previous technology. The method also improves accuracy by 15 percent. "For a normal sentence, you will have one less word to correct," says Microsoft's Michael Tjalve. To read further, please http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57589465-75/microsoft-revs-speedier-smarter-speech-recognition-for-phones/
