HPC in the News
Over 100 People from 19 Countries Gain HPC Skills at 5th International HPC Summer School
A total of 80 graduate students and post-docs—25 percent of them women—representing 28 nationalities and five continents were selected from more than 500 applicants from educational and research institutions in Canada, Europe, Japan, and the United States to attend the Fifth Annual International Summer School on HPC Challenges in Computational Sciences, held June 1-6, 2014, at The Budapest University of Technology and Economics in Budapest, Hungary In addition to promoting knowledge of high-performance computing and its applications, by bringing together participants and presenters from 19 countries, the workshop also encourages international collaborations and friendships. This was the fifth in an ongoing series of summer schools, this year jointly organized by XSEDE, Compute/Calcul Canada, PRACE, and RIKEN. Planning has begun for the sixth summer school, to be held during the summer of 2015 in North America Additional information about the event is available at: http://summerschool.niif.hu/.
TACC Names New Executive Director
Dan C. Stanzione Jr. has been named executive director of the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at The University of Texas at Austin. A nationally recognized leader in high performance computing, Stanzione has served as deputy director since June 2009 and will assume the new post July 1. “The University of Texas at Austin has become a global leader in supercomputing thanks to TACC and the research it supports,” said UT Austin President Bill Powers. “Under Dan’s leadership, I believe our computers will become even more powerful and our research even more world-changing.” To read further, please visit https://www.tacc.utexas.edu/news/press-releases/2014/new-executive-director.
Argonne and Caterpillar Undertake Cooperative Virtual Engine Design Project
Internal combustion engines are poised for dramatic breakthroughs in improving efficiency with lower emissions, thanks in part to low-temperature combustion regimes. Such regimes show great efficiency and emissions potential, but they present optimization and control challenges that must be addressed before they enter the engine mainstream. Caterpillar Inc. (Cat), Peoria, Ill., recognizing that we are entering an age of high-fidelity engine modeling, turned to U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and its Virtual Engine Research Institute and Fuels Initiative (VERIFI), where experts are developing new engine combustion models that incorporate accurate descriptions of two-phase flows, chemistry, transport phenomena and device geometries to provide predictive simulations of engine and fuel performance To read further, please visit http://www.anl.gov/articles/caterpillar-argonne-undertake-cooperative-virtual-engine-design-control-project.
European Court Lets Users Erase Records on Web
The New York
The European Court of Justice on Tuesday said Google should allow online users to erase links to content about them after a certain amount of time, in a ruling that rejects long-established Internet practices. The court said people had the right to determine what others can find out about them by searching the Internet, and said search engine operators should erase links to Web pages unless there are "particular reasons" not to do so. "Some will see this as corrupting. Others will see it as purifying," says Harvard University professor Jonathan Zittrain. "I think it's a bad solution to a very real problem, which is that everything is now on our permanent records." The court's decision cannot be repealed and clashes with U.S. First Amendment rights. Google said the ruling was disappointing and noted it differed significantly from a preliminary verdict last year. Analysts say the ruling leaves many unanswered questions and could lead to the imposition of digital borders. To read further, please visit http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/14/technology/google-should-erase-web-links-to-some-personal-data-europes-highest-court-says.html?_r=0.
HPC Call for Participation
7th International Conference on BioMedical Engineering and Informatics (BMEI 2014) and the 2014 7th International Congress on Image and Signal Processing (CISP 2014),
October 14-16, 2014 - Dalian, China
Submission Deadline – July 30, 2014
The 2014 7th International Congress on Image and Signal Processing (CISP 2014) and the 2014 7th International Conference on BioMedical Engineering and Informatics (BMEI 2014) will be held in Dalian, China. CISP-BMEI 2014 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. For more information and submission guidelines, please visit http://cisp-bmei.lntu.edu.cn/.
CyberGIS'14 Travel Awards
August 19-21, 2014 - Redlands, California
Application Deadline – July 11, 2014
The Second International Conference on CyberGIS and Geodesign (CyberGIS'14) will provide a forum for sharing cutting-edge research, education and training experiences ranging from new theories, methods, and applications of cyberGIS and geodesign to related industrial relations and partnerships, and international collaborations. CyberGIS'14 will include an international research symposium that will bring together foremost thinkers, researchers and educators to discuss leading research and education activities in cyberGIS and geodesign as well as related areas. The aim of these travel awards is to promote communication and collaboration while enabling graduate students and postdoctoral scholars to gain broad perspectives that are essential to resolving many geospatial scientific challenges. For more information, please visit http://cybergis.illinois.edu/events/cybergis14/calls/travel.html.
Women in HPC at SC14 – Workshop Call for Papers
November 21, 2014 - New Orleans, Louisiana
Submission Deadline – July 31, 2914
You are invited to join us for a half-day workshop on ‘Women in HPC’ at Supercomputing 2014. The workshop aims to address gender issues in HPC research and innovation, the challenges facing women and how gender inequality can impact efficacy of the scientific method and research quality. The workshop will include talks from female early career researchers and invited talks by world-leading women working in the field of HPC, describing the challenges facing women in HPC careers and how to improve the representation of women in supercomputing. Applicants must be female and either PhD candidates or early career researchers who have been awarded their PhD. For more information, please visit http://www.womeninhpc.org.uk/sc14.
Upcoming Conferences, Workshops and Webinars
International Winter School on Big Data - BigDat 2015
January 26-30, 2015 - Tarragona, Spain
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 For more information, please visit http://grammars.grlmc.com/bigdat2015/.
Research Features From Across the Country and Around the World
SDSC Assists Researchers in Wildlife Tracking Project
A team including researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research has developed a novel methodology that for the first time combines 3D and advanced range estimator technologies to provide highly detailed data on the range and movements of terrestrial, aquatic, and avian wildlife species. A paper detailing the project, called ‘Movement-based Estimation and Visualization of Space Use in 3D for Wildlife Ecology and Conservation’, was published July 2 in the PLoS-ONE online science journal. A video of the project can be viewed on SeedMe at https://www.seedme.org/condor_vis.
For Fun: Apple Launches New FaceFries App
Simon Fraser University researchers have developed FaceFries, a free Apple iTunes application they say uses advanced image processing, psychological models of personality and emotion, and animation technology to bring the human spark to social media mobile applications. FaceFries takes facial photographs and animates, merges, or modifies them in ways that turn them into realistic three-dimensional animated avatars, says Simon Fraser University researcher Steve DiPaola. "Our mission is to give people a smile and foster creativity and laughter as they capture, create, collect, and share faces," the researchers say." To read further, please visit http://www.sfu.ca/pamr/media-releases/2014/apple-launches-new-facefries-app.html.
TED AI Challenge: Could a Robot Give Its Own TED Talk?
Network World
The TED organization has partnered with X Prize to develop a competition focused on having an artificial intelligence (AI)-based robot "deliver a compelling TED Talk with no human involvement." In a posting of what the contest might look like, X Prize describes a scenario in which a group of judges devises 100 different TED Talk subjects ahead of the conference, while during the event the audience selects one of the subjects, and the competing AIs are tasked with preparing a three-minute talk within 30 minutes. A team would choose how its AI would be presented on stage, while another illustration of its abilities would be demonstrated by having each AI answer some questions from the conference host. To read further, please visit http://www.networkworld.com/article/2226607/applications/artificial-intelligence-challenge--could-a-robot-give-its-own-ted-talk-.html.
HPC Wales Announces Launch of New Workstations
HPCwire
Wales’ national supercomputing network has announced the launch of 17 local access workstations installed across the country, along with the software, training and support to fully exploit them. High Performance Computing (HPC) Wales has installed the new workstations to provide access to advanced supercomputing technology to businesses suffering from poor broadband speeds and limited connectivity. The local access workstations will also allow the venture to engage with local businesses directly, providing on-site supercomputing training and support along with sophisticated commercial and open source software packages. To read more, please visit http://www.hpcwire.com/off-the-wire/hpc-wales-announces-launch-new-workstations/.
Software Made to Allow Global Collaboration at from University of Texas at Austin
The expansion of a proposal from University of Texas at Austin (UTA) professor Kaushik De for computing large-scale, big data scientific projects is the focus of a global, multi-institutional effort to apply Production and Distributed Analysis (PanDA) software. De developed PanDA to enable large computing centers from all over the world to automatically collaborate to solve scientific challenges. As part of the big data project, De and colleagues have received U.S. Energy Department funding to incorporate networking capabilities into PanDA. Meanwhile, Russia recently gave Brookhaven National Laboratory scientist Alexei Klimentov a $3.4-million grant to work with the United States in developing improved data management capabilities for PanDA, which De says will broaden a PanDA feature similar to cloud computing while surpassing the capacity of commercial servers. the World To read further, please visit http://www.theshorthorn.com/news/software-made-to-allow-global-collaboration/article_29614834-b4af-11e3-a424-0017a43b2370.html.
University of Michigan to Create Simulated City to Test Future Robotic Cars
University Herald
The University of Michigan (UM) is building a simulated city center, spread across 32 acres on its North Campus, to serve as the testing ground for automated vehicles. The aim of the Mobility Transformation Facility is to ensure automated vehicles can maneuver safely on actual roadways. The facility features streets with road signs, intersections, roundabouts, and stoplights; highways, including a four-lane highway, with merge lanes; building cut-outs, and railroad crossings. Moreover, the facility contains programmable streetlights, simulated construction, and mechanical pedestrians programmed to surprise the driverless cars as they pass through. "We will actually be writing code for the test facility," says UM professor Edwin Olson. "We'll be able to trigger tricky traffic signal timings, or a pedestrian stepping into the intersection at just the wrong time, for example." To read further, please visit http://www.universityherald.com/articles/9786/20140606/michigan-simulated-city-test-robotic-cars-vehicles.htm.
Educator News and Opportunities
Q&A: What Separates Women From Men in Tech Careers
SearchNetworking.com
In an interview, HP Cloud Services vice president of product marketing and cloud evangelist Margaret Dawson discusses the technology gender divide. Dawson says girls are directed away from computers at an early age, limiting their options over time. Although many people believe a tech career equates to being an "IT guy," there are many paths to working in computer science, according to Dawson. "People tend to think, 'I don't have a computer science degree,' or, 'I can't code,' but we need more business and go-to-market brains too," Dawson says, noting many different personalities and skills are necessary in the technology industry. Technology leaders should find women with potential and encourage them to push their boundaries, because sometimes women lack the confidence to do so otherwise, she says. To read further, please visit http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/news/2240221880/QA-What-separates-women-from-men-in-tech-careers.
Award for Impact on the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics
Application Deadline - September 15, 2014
This award is given annually to a mathematician (or group of mathematicians) who has made significant contributions of lasting value to mathematics education. Priorities of the award include recognition of: (a) accomplished mathematicians who have worked directly with pre-college teachers to enhance teachers’ impact on mathematics achievement for all students, or (b) sustainable and replicable contributions by mathematicians to improving the mathematics education of students in the first two years of college. For more information, please visit http://www.ams.org/profession/prizes-awards/ams-awards/impact.
NSTA Call for Papers: The Science Teache
The Science Teacher (TST) is seeking manuscripts that describe new and creative ideas for the secondary science classroom. Manuscripts should provide worthwhile ideas and practical help for teachers as they relate to the themes listed at the following link: http://www.nsta.org/highschool/call-tst.aspx.
Google for Education’s Eco-System
In a recent webinar sponsored by Google, James Leonard from the Google for Education team gave an overview of Google’s key principles and strategies to support education. Hank Thiele, Assistant Superintendent of Technology and Learning for the Maine Township High School District 207 in Illinois, gives a firsthand account of how his district implemented 1-to-1 computing using Google Apps and Chromebooks. To view the webinar, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RsTIitA1dl0.
Student Engagement and Opportunities
Teenager Unleashes Computer Power for Cancer Diagnosis
BBC News
Duke University undergraduate Brittany Wenger recently spoke at the Royal Society of Medicine in London about her research into using artificial intelligence to teach computers to diagnose cancer. In high school, Wenger began experimenting with neural networks, and decided to apply her research to improving the diagnosis of breast cancer. She developed an artificial intelligence program to analyze data from a breast tissue biopsy. "I'm trying to teach the computer how to think so it can detect patterns that allow it to diagnose cancers easier and quicker," Wenger says. Two hospitals, one in the United States and another in Italy, are testing Wenger's breast cancer program. Beyond the breast cancer research, Wenger is working on a cloud-based program that targets leukemia by seeking genetic patterns that can foreshadow relapse. Cancer Research UK senior science information officer Dr. Emma Smith says computers have significantly advanced cancer diagnosis and personalized treatments. "This depth of knowledge has already led to big steps forward in diagnosing cancer and getting patients more tailored treatments," Smith says. To read further, please visit http://www.bbc.com/news/health-27518779.
Code for America Seeks New Fellowship Recruits
Application Deadline – July 15, 2014
The Code for America (CfA) project is once again looking to place developers in state and local government agencies for one year to help find technology solutions to existing, offline ways of performing tasks. Founded by Jennifer Pahlka, who recently wrapped up a year-long stint as deputy CTO in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the project is now in its fifth year. CfA is looking for individuals with well-developed coding skills and project management experience, as well as soft skills. Fellows in the program serve on the front lines of moving government services into the digital arena. For example, current fellow Sam Hashemi is working in Atlanta on a project to notify motorists with traffic court cases about their hearing schedules. "In this day and age, a technologist can really inspire folks with what's possible--with things you can make that are lightweight and fast," says Alex Tran, program mana To read further, please visit http://fcw.com/articles/2014/06/05/code4america.aspx.
The NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing
Applications Submission Period - September 15 - October 31, 2014
For high school and college student! honors young women at the high-school level for their computing-related achievements and interests. Awardees are selected for their computing and IT aptitude, leadership ability, academic history, and plans for post-secondary education. The NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing offers both a national and local award competitionto generate support and visibility for young women's participation in computing around the country. Each local award taps into the powerful network of NCWIT Alliance members: teams from academia, non-profit organizations, startups, and corporations come together to build a community of support for young women interested in computing. each year. For more information, please visit http://www.aspirations.org/participate/high-school
High Tech Company Seeking Engineering Intern
Rancho Bernardo, California
Application Deadline: ASAP
Nu-Trek is a small, dynamic, high-tech defense contractor specializing in navigation and imaging. We are expecting to double in the coming year and are looking for an engineering intern with an interest in business. In a small company you will get to do many things that you would not get to do in a large company such as work closely with the CEO as well as senior technical and administrative staff, support telecoms with the Air Force and major defense contractors, support a broad range of engineering tasks, and make significant personal contributions. For more information, please visit https://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/ofc/4531851873.html.
Research Data Alliance/US Fellowship Program
Application Deadline – July 20, 2014
The RDA/US Fellows Program engages early career scholars and professionals in the pragmatic, real-world challenges that are encountered in reducing the technical and social barriers to global data sharing. RDA/US Fellows receive travel funding to observe, learn, be ambassadors of RDA, and contribute to the overall bold mission of the Research Data Alliance. Fellows will be funded to attend three consecutive plenaries (18 months) to carry out a topic of research, outreach, or education of their proposing. To read further, please visit https://sites.google.com/a/umail.iu.edu/research-data-alliance-2/rda-us-fellows.
Chart: The Top Tech Companies for Internships
Glassdoor has released a list of the 25 highest rated companies, which are hiring interns this year. It also put together the map above showing where internships are geographically located right now. Thirteen tech companies make the list, including Facebook and Google, which led the group. (Of course, Google should be in the mix given that its internship program was the source of a comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson). Three Seattle companies made the list: Microsoft (#7), Nordstrom (#24) and Amazon (#25). The list was created based on intern feedback over the past year. To view the charts, please visit http://www.geekwire.com/2014/chart-top-tech-companies-internships/.
Faculty Opportunities
2015 JPBM Communications Award
Nomination Deadline - August 1, 2014
This award is given each year to reward and encourage communicators who, on a sustained basis, bring mathematical ideas and information to nonmathematical audiences. Both mathematicians and non-mathematicians are eligible. JPBM (the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics) is a collaborative effort of the American Mathematical Society, the Mathematical Association of America, the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, and the American Statistical Association. For more information, please visit http://www.ams.org/profession/prizes-awards/jpbm-comm-call.
Facilitating Research at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions:
Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) and Research Opportunity Awards (ROA)
Submission Deadline – Varies by Program
This solicitation uses the same definition of a “primarily undergraduate institution” (PUI) as the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program, another Foundation-wide opportunity. Eligible PUIs are accredited colleges and universities (including two-year community colleges) that award Associate's degrees, Bachelor's degrees, and/or Master's degrees in NSF-supported fields, but have awarded 20 or fewer Ph.D./D.Sci. degrees in all NSF-supported fields during the combined previous two academic years. See Section IV for further information. For more information, please visit http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2014/nsf14579/nsf14579.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click.
The Lighter Side – Computational News and Innovations
How a Laser Beam Could Quadruple the Speed of the Internet
The Washington Post
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) researchers say they have developed a new kind of laser that can quadruple the bandwidth on the fastest fiber-optic networks. "Our first-run lasers, fabricated at Caltech, are capable of a 4x increase in the number of bytes-per-second carried by each channel," says Caltech professor Amnon Yariv. "This number will increase with our continuing work, but even at this level, the economic advantages are very big." He says the new laser is an improvement over conventional lasers because it operates closer to a single frequency than any other yet created, and the purity of the beam allows it to carry more data. To read further, please visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/03/17/how-a-laser-beam-could-quadruple-the-speed-of-the-internet/.
How Your Tweets Reveal Your Home Location
Technology Review
An algorithm developed by IBM researchers exploits anyone's last 200 Twitter postings to reveal their home city location with nearly 70-percent accuracy. The researchers filtered the Twitter channel for tweets that were geotagged with any of the largest 100 U.S. cities between July and August 2011, until they had pinpointed 100 different users in each location. They then downloaded the last 200 tweets posted by each user, rejecting privately posted messages until more than 1.5 million geotagged postings from almost 10,000 people remained. This dataset was divided in two, with 90 percent of the tweets employed to train the algorithm while the remaining 10 percent were used for testing it. To read further, please visit http://www.technologyreview.com/view/525741/how-your-tweets-reveal-your-home-location/.
