HPC in the News
Need a Competitive Internship in HPC? Look No Further Than TACC
The internships are funded through TACC's STAR Scholars Internship Program, which aims to bolster a computationally literate workforce in HPC and scientific visualization. By pairing each scholar with a TACC mentor to work on a specific project, the students acquire in-depth knowledge and training in an area of interest to industry, and provide much-needed support to real-world projects at the center. This month marks the successful completion of the first year of the STAR Scholars Internship Program. Corporations such as BP and Chevron sponsored students while TACC has taught them applicable skills. Often times, the students who train at TACC have the opportunity to become full-time employees at these international companies. For more information, please visit https://www.tacc.utexas.edu/news/2014/feature-stories/need-a-competitive-internship-in-hpc.
HPC Wales to Highlight Benefits of Supercomputing at Festival of Innovation
HPCwire
The creative industries sector is one of the fastest growing of the key sectors identified by the Welsh government as a target for economic renewal. It provides employment for more than 30,000 people in Wales, in over 4,200 enterprises, and generates over £1.8bn turnover every year. Supercomputing plays a critical role in the development of games, virtual technologies, high-end visualisations, 3D animation and computer generated imagery (CGI) for motion pictures. High Performance Computing (HPC) Wales is now a leading supplier of supercomputing technology to the creative industries and has established a number of key partnerships in this area. As part of the Wales Festival of Innovation, HPC Wales will be highlighting the benefits of supercomputing technology and demonstrating how some of its customers are applying the technology. To read further, please visit http://www.hpcwire.com/off-the-wire/hpc-wales-highlight-benefits-supercomputing-technology-wales-festival-innovation/.
Indiana University Offers Supercomputing 101: Intro to High Performance Computing
July 7-11, 2014 – Bloomington, Indiana
| | | | | This hands-on course will cover the basics of using IU’s supercomputing systems from logging in to job creation and submission. Attendees should have a Quarry account. Instructions on how to get a Quarry account can be found at | | | | What You'll learn | Available Downloads | - how to access the computer systems
- the file systems available for data storage
- what software is available
- job script creation, submission and management
| | | What you need to know | - how to use a keyboard to perform typing tasks
- basic Unix skills are helpful, but not required
- no prior knowledge of HPC systems are required
| | |
For complete course information and to register, please visit http://ittraining.iu.edu/training/Browse.aspx?workshop=HPCIU.
Science Council Approves Big-Data Privacy Report
The President's Council of Advisers on Science and Technology (PCAST) has released "Big Data and Privacy: A Technological Perspective," a report on new ways to build privacy protections into information technology systems. The report's authors back the routine, consistent use of encryption and other security technologies to protect personal data as it moves across networks. They also support boosting research and adding scale to some types of security protections that are now being implemented manually. Technology can help reduce privacy risks but policy is needed as well, says report co-author and University of California, Berkeley professor Susan Graham. To read further, please visit http://fcw.com/articles/2014/04/30/big-data-privacy-report.aspx. ‘
US Department of Education Announces $75 Million Grant Competition
MSI Stakeholder Call - Tuesday, June 10, 2014, 3:00 p.m. (Eastern time)
On May 15, 2014, the U.S. Department of Education announced a $75 million grant competition called First in the World (FITW). FITW is an evidence-based grant program that provides awards to institutions of higher education to spur the development of innovative approaches and strategies that will improve educational access and outcomes, including making a postsecondary education more affordable and attainable for students and families. This grant has up to a $20M set aside for Minority Serving Institutions (MSI). As a possible MSI that may be interested in applying for a FITW grant we want to help ensure you have the information needed to successfully apply. With that we invite you to participate in a MSI stakeholder call offered by FITW experts. Please send an RSVP email to oswhi-hbcu@ed.gov with “RSVP for FITW” in the subject line by COB Monday, June 9th and we’ll follow up with the call in information. The number of lines may be limited, so we’ll take RSVP’s on a first-come, first-serve basis.
XSEDE14 Early Registration Discount Just Around the Corner
Early Bird Registration Deadline – June 15, 2014
Please join us at the XSEDE14 Conference in Atlanta, Georgia from July 13-18, 2014 at the Atlanta Marriot Marquis. This conference showcases the discoveries, innovations, challenges and achievements of the XSEDE community, and the HPC community at large.
The conference features:
· Tutorials
· Keynotes
· Lightning Talks
· Students Presentations of Papers and Posters
· Visualization Showcase
· Extensive Job Fair
· Reproducibility Workshop
· Science, Technology, and Education/Outreach Tracks
· Student Travel Grants Available
You can register online at https://www.xsede.org/web/conference/xsede14/registration. Make sure to register on or before June 15, 2014 and save $100.00!
Application Deadline for SC14 Broader Engagement Program Approaching
Application Deadline - June 15, 2014
Sunday, June 15, is the deadline to apply for the Broader Engagement (BE) program at the SC14 conference. SC14 will be held Nov. 16-21, 2014 in New Orleans.
The SC conference sponsors the BE program to help increase the participation of individuals who have been traditionally under-represented in HPC. The BE program offers special activities to introduce, engage and support a diverse community at the conference and in the broader HPC community.
Competitive grants are available to support limited travel to and participation in the SC14 Technical Program. Consideration will be given to applicants from groups that traditionally have been under-represented in HPC, including women, African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Pacific Islanders and people with disabilities. We encourage applications from people in all computing-related disciplines.
To apply, visit: https://submissions.supercomputing.org/, Questions? Contact be@info.supercomputing.org.
More information about the BE program is available at: http://sc14.supercomputing.org/engage/broader-engagement
.
HPC Call for Participation
Call for Participation - Initiatives Comprising SC14 HPC Interconnections Program
November 16-21, 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana
Application Deadline – June 15, 2014
The deadline to apply for three of the initiatives comprising the SC14 HPC Interconnections program is fast approaching. These initiatives provide a welcoming entry for attendees who may be new to the community or the conference.
Broader Engagement seeks to increase the participation of individuals who have been traditionally under-represented in HPC. The Broader Engagement Program offers special activities to introduce, engage and support a diverse community in the conference and in HPC. More information: http://sc14.supercomputing.org/engage/broader-engagement . Questions? Email: be@info.supercomputing.org
Experiencing HPC for Undergraduates introduces undergraduate students at the sophomore level and above to HPC research topics and techniques. The program introduces various aspects of HPC research at the SC14 Conference to increase awareness of research and career opportunities. More information: http://sc14.supercomputing.org/engage/experiencing-hpc-undergraduates. Questions? Email: HPCundergrads@info.supercomputing.org
Student Volunteers help with the administration of the conference and have the opportunity to participate in student-oriented activities. In exchange for volunteering, students receive complimentary conference registration and meals. More information: http://sc14.supercomputing.org/engage/student-volunteers . Questions? Email: student-vols@info.supercomputing.org
2nd Call for Papers - Third INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF NATURAL COMPUTING - TPNC 2014
December 9-11, 2014 - Granada, Spain
Paper Submission Deadline – July 17, 2014
TPNC is a conference series intending to cover the wide spectrum of computational principles, models and techniques inspired by information processing in nature. TPNC 2014 will reserve significant room for young scholars at the beginning of their career. It aims at attracting contributions to nature-inspired models of computation, synthesizing nature by means of computation, nature-inspired materials, and information processing in nature. For more information and submission guidelines, please visit http://grammars.grlmc.com/tpnc2013/.
International BioMetrics & Smart Government Summit Kicks Off - Call for Papers
January 18-20, 2015 – Sousse, Tunisia
Submission Deadline – August 1, 2014
The International Biometrics & Smart Government Summit (IBMSGS’ 2015) invites you to submit a research paper for consideration. All accepted papers will be published in printed conference books/proceedings (ISBN) and will also be made available online. The proceedings will be presented to high caliber scientific journals. IBMSGS’15 is composed of a number of tracks, including: tutorials, sessions, workshops, posters, and panel discussions. For topic and submission guidelines, please visit http://www.ibmsgs.org/submission/.
Upcoming Conferences, Workshops and Webinars
WorDS Center Workflow Hackathon
June 17, 2014 – La Jolla, California
WorDS Center Workflow Hackathons are made for you and your application! Come and taste the spirit of collaborative development while you focus on the workflows for your applications.
- Do you have MATLAB, R, Python and other scripts you are trying to integrate?
- Do you have workflows you are trying to scale on large-scale and cloud-based computational resources?
- Have you taken one of the WorDS Boot Camps and you want to further improve your hands-on experience?
- Are you a Kepler user who is looking for additional hands-on help to develop your application and sharpen your skills?
Centered around your individual usecases, we will help you hack workflow-driven applications from building a prototype of your workflows from scratch, running your workflows on HPC/cloud/cluster resources, making your workflow products reproducible through provenance tracking, and wrapping your workflows as web applications.
For registration and details: http://words.sdsc.edu/events/hackathon-june-2014
Virtual School of Computational Science and Engineering (VSCSE) Summer School
Big Data Summer School, June 30 - July , 2014 - U Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma
Harness the Power of GPUs: Introduction to GPGPU Programming, June 16-20, 2014
The Virtual School of Computational Science and Engineering is looking forward to another successful summer school program providing undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, faculty and professionals the skills they need to use advanced computational resources to further their research. These are being offered through one of a kind high-definition videoconferencing delivered simultaneously nationwide to specific sites. For complete information, including summer school site locations and to register, please visit https://portal.xsede.org/course-calendar.
SDSC Virtual Data Intensive Summer School
June 30 – July 2, 2014 -- La Jolla, California
The San Diego Supercomputer Center will be one of 21 sites across the country hosting the Virtual Data Intensive Summer School. It is intended for participants who are local to San Diego or one of the other 20 sites that will be linked using videoconferencing technology. The Data Intensive Summer School focuses on the skills needed to manage, process and gain insight from large amounts of data. It is targeted at researchers from the physical, biological, economic and social sciences that are beginning to drown in data. We will cover the nuts and bolts of data intensive computing, common tools and software, predictive analytics algorithms, data management and non-relational database models. Given the short duration of the summer school, the emphasis will be on providing a solid foundation that the attendees can use as a starting point for advanced topics of particular relevance to their work. Summer School details: http://www.vscse.org/summerschool/2014/index.html
SDSC Summer Institute 2014: HPC Meets Big Data
August 4 – 8, 2014 – La Jolla, California
HPC Meets Big Data is the theme of SDSC’s Summer Institute in 2014. SDSC Summer Institute will deploy a flexible format designed to help attendees get the most out of their week. The first half will consist of plenary sessions covering the skills that are considered essential for anyone who works with big data. Topics include data management, running jobs on SDSC resources, reproducibility, database systems, characteristics of big data, techniques for turning data into knowledge, software version control and making effective use of hardware. Followed by a series of parallel sessions that allow attendees to dive deeper into specialized material that is relevant to their research projects, with the exact choice of topics will be based on feedback collected during registration. The Summer Institute is targeted to individuals interested in data science and computational science—especially current and potential users of SDSC's data-intensive resources. To apply, please visit http://www.sdsc.edu/Events/summerinstitute/.
Third Theory and Practice in Modern Computing Conference
July 15-17, 2014 - Lisbon, Portugal
The International Conference on “Theory and Practice in Modern Computing” provides a forum for research and developments in the field of computing foundations and technology. Modern computing comes not only with efficient concepts and their application, but also it often addresses networking and mobility topics. The conference covers four main areas: Design Foundations; Realization Aspects; Mobility Communication and Services; Networking and Grid Approaches. For more information, please visit http://www.tpmc-conf.org/.
Research Features From Across the Country and Around the World
Fiveworx Licenses ORNL Energy Analysis Tool
Knoxville-based Fiveworx has licensed an Oak Ridge National Laboratory technology that will help consumers reduce their utility bills by analyzing their home energy usage. The ORNL technology, called Citizen Engagement for Energy Efficient Communities (CoNNECT), enables utility customers to easily monitor their energy consumption in a user-friendly web-based platform. Fiveworx will apply the CoNNECT tool toward its mission to help utilities increase participation in their energy efficiency programs while reducing their marketing costs. To read further, please visit http://www.ornl.gov/ornl/news/news-releases/2014/knoxville-startup-fiveworx-licenses-ornl-energy-analysis-tool--.
Tablet Computers for Global Literacy
Tufts Now
Researchers at Tufts University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently gave 40 children in rural Ethiopia tablet computers equipped with more than 300 specially designed apps to help them learn reading basics. Within a week, the children had all the apps up and running. Each app addresses some of the basic processes needed to learn to read, such as the alphabet, letter-name knowledge, letter-sound correspondence, basic decoding principles, and sight word recognition. Within a year, the children had learned the alphabet, could recognize some words by sight, and had figured out how to use applications that would help them learn even more. One of the most successful apps was TinkrBook, which presents an interactive story that invites children to play with the text and graphics to explore how these changes affect the narrative. To read further, please visit http://now.tufts.edu/articles/tablet-computers-global-literacy.
Purdue University Researchers Sketching on Tablets Promises Collaborative Design, Creativity
Purdue University News
Purdue University researchers have developed skWiki and Juxtapoze, two cyberlearning platforms that enable non-artists to create illustrations rivaling the work of expert designers. The researchers note the platforms eliminate the need for drawing skills in developing new designs. "I think this is the beginning of a new field of computer-supported creativity where you are extending the human mind," says Purdue professor Karthik Ramani. The researchers say the platforms also represent an important step toward replacing or changing the use of paper to create designs. "Our research shows that when using the skWiki system, designers generate more ideas, which is an indicator of creativity, and are more collaborative in discussing their ideas," says Purdue professor Lorraine Kisselburgh. The platforms operate on servers and do not require users to install any software. The skWiki platform enables collaboration with multimedia, including text, sketches, photos, and "vector images" important for computer-aided design and other applications. To read further, please visit http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2014/Q2/sketching-on-tablets-promising-for-collaborative-design,-creativity.html.
As Strong as Its Weakest Link: Experiments Determine Real-World Limits of Graphene
Georgia Tech News Center
Researchers at Rice University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have measured the fracture toughness of imperfect graphene for the first time and found it to be somewhat brittle. The researchers concluded that graphene is really only as strong as its weakest link, which they determined to be "substantially lower" than the intrinsic strength of graphene. "Graphene has exceptional physical properties, but to use it in real applications we have to understand the useful strength of large-area graphene, which is controlled by the fracture toughness," says Georgia Tech professor Ting Zhu. Imperfections in graphene significantly lessen its strength, with an upper limit of about 100 gigapascals for perfect graphene previously measured by nanoindentation, according to the researchers. To read further, please visit http://www.news.gatech.edu/2014/04/29/strong-its-weakest-link-experiments-determine-real-world-limits-graphene.
PSC Recognizes Fox Chapel Students for Computation in Science Projects
\Science projects by two students from Fox Chapel Area Senior High School, Pittsburgh, have earned special recognition from Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC) for excellence in computer programming. Sonia Appasamy designed a computerized tool that helps people with visual impairment by automatically converting a camera feed or a photographic image to a simplified, more cartoon-like image with sharper boundaries and contrasts. Suvir Mirchandani created a web browsing system that scans eye movement and brain waves to allow people who do not have use of their arms to surf the Internet. “These students used pretty simple ideas to come up with tools that are complex and effective,” says Anirban Jana, senior computational scientist at PSC, who selected the winners from among the entrants of the Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair in March. While the students’ use of advanced technology was remarkable, he adds, an important differentiator was their grasp of the technologies they were using and their ability to explain them. For more information, please visit http://psc.edu/index.php/newscenter/42-press-release/951-psc-recognizes-students-for-computation-in-science-projects.
Educator News and Opportunities
UC Davis Model Based Education Research Project for Biology High School Teachers
Registration Deadline – June 20, 2014
The UC Davis School of Education and the Sacramento Area Science Project (SASP) are looking for High School Biology teachers throughout the greater Sacramento region. We are beginning a an exciting new curricular development and research project called Model Based Educational Resource for Biology (MBERBio). The major goals of the MBERBio project include the implementation, critique, revision and research investigation of a Next Generation resource package that supports a full year of instruction in high school Biology aligned to the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the NGSS. If you are interested in being part of the MBERBio program, please send an email stating why you are interested to Arthur Beauchamp at acbeauchamp@ucdavis.edu. Please visit the SASP web site for more information: http://sasp.ucdavis.edu
Final Call for Participation: Oracle Summer Training
July 28-August 1, 2014 – Pleasanton, California
Application Deadline- June 18, 2014
Oracle has announced it is offering free trainings to California teachers this summer. Schools with career pathways are encourage to send at least two teachers, and this would be a great event for high school and community college faculty to attend together to support pathway articulation.
The event is open to faculty who meet the following criteria:
- Teach at an accredited non-profit public or private institution (This can be higher education or high school.)
- Are interested in using the Database or Java curriculum in a degree granting program (high school diploma, AA degree, or Bachelor’s degree program.)
There will be two options: Java Fundamentals and Database Design and Programming with SQL, each training is a weeklong. There is no charge for this course. To register, please visit http://www.edsynergy.org/wp- content/uploads/2014/04/ICS_Registration_Enrollment_Steps_Pleasanton_events.pdf.
The La Jolla Community Foundation's 2014-2015 Grant Application
Application Deadline – June 23, 2014
LJCF is in its first grant cycle and invites nonprofits serving La Jolla to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) to express interest in applying for a grant during the 2014-15 grant cycle. The Foundation will be accepting LOI’s for projects that focus on arts and / or science. Priority consideration will be given to projects that combine both arts and science. This grant cycle is committed to the financial support of organizations, projects and programs dedicated to improving the lives of those who live, work or attend school within the geographic boundaries of 92037. The Letter of Intent (LOI) is the first step in a two-step application process, which will facilitate the allocation of funding for La Jolla focused projects. The funding range is $5,000 - $20,000. LJCF will evaluate all LOI submittals and qualify those that meet the program and eligibility criteria. For more information, please visit http://www.sdfoundation.org/CommunityFoundations/LaJollaCommunityFoundation/Grants.aspx.
The Art of Science Play Day for Educators
June 24, 2014 – Balboa Park, San Diego, California
Project Submission Deadline – June 13, 2014
Educators and leaders in schools, universities, museums, learning centers…Move, make, and play — merging art, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics! Innovators in education will facilitate interactive mini-workshops …a Galaxy Garden, movement and physics, neuroscience and music, visual art and urban ecosystems, and more! Let’s inspire each other • Share ideas and tools • Grow our region’s network for innovative learning • Play with prototypes created by Art of Science Learning Incubator for Innovation teams • Meet up • Organized by the Art of Science Learning Collaborating partners Balboa Park Learning Institute/Cultural Partnership and STEAM Connect. For more information and to register, please visit http://www.artofsciencelearning.org/playday/.
First Lady To Tout Role Of Arts Education Program
Huffington Post
Delivering a forceful argument on the role of the arts in education, Michelle Obama said Tuesday that it isn't something to be introduced after student test scores go up but is a critical element of achieving those higher test scores in the first place. The lawyer-turned-first lady argued her case while opening the first White House student talent show, featuring spirited song and dance routines by students whose schools had performed so poorly they were chosen for a new federal arts education program. To read further, please visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/20/michelle-obama-arts-education_n_5357887.html.
Op Ed: Students Should Move Full Steam Ahead
Salt Lake Tribune
Don Gale is spot on in his observation that while STEM education is a good thing, "it is far from being good enough in today’s world." ("STEM is good, but not good enough," Opinion, May 10) Several exhibits might be offered as evidence that adding an "A" for "arts" to STEM, as Mr. Gale advocates, is not only possible, it is necessary. Exhibit A is the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. One of the significant components of these new standards is the emphasis on reading, and analysis, of nonfiction text. Not only will such emphasis help students better prepare for college, it will also provide them with new opportunities to experience, and apply, significant intersections of art and science, including those specific to the American West. For example, the study of a rich biography such as Wallace Stegner’s "Beyond the Hundredth Meridian," describing John Wesley Powell’s exploration of the Colorado River basin, would allow students to learn about critical Utah history, geology and climate, as well as the contributions of talented artists, such as Thomas Moran and William Henry Holmes, to land surveys and the scientific record. To read further, please visit http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/57956805-82/arts-education-stem-students.html.csp.
Recruiting the Next Generation of STEM Employees
U.S. News & World Report (04/28/14) Delece Smith-Barrow
Hiring experts in various fields contended at the recent U.S. News STEM Solutions Conference that introducing programs to reach students at the elementary, middle, and high school levels will help nurture next-generation science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) employees. Shell Oil's Michael J. Alvarez details his company's outreach initiatives, which include supplying two- and four-year scholarships and internship programs, teaming with science-focused organizations, and building a Web presence that gives students, teachers, and parents resources for the next generation of potential engineers. Meanwhile, Motorola Solutions and Texas Instruments participate in robotic competitions for students, and Caterpillar has fostered strategic university partnerships. To read further, please visit http://www.usnews.com/news/stem-solutions/articles/2014/04/28/recruiting-the-next-generation-of-stem-employees.
Tech Leaders Lobby for Coding Classes in California Schools
The San Francisco Chronicle
Educators and technology industry leaders on Wednesday are sending a letter to California Gov. Jerry Brown urging him to improve computer science education in the state's public schools. The letter notes that although California is "home to the computing revolution that transforms our lives and provides high-paying jobs," 90 percent of K-12 schools do not teach computer science. "Besides the jobs, a basic understanding of this foundational field is relevant in every 21st century career," the letter says. Although California has begun to take some steps to boost computer science education, it lags behind other states, such as Texas, which last month changed its education code to require all high schools to offer at least two computer-science courses. To read further, please visit http://www.sfgate.com/technology/article/Tech-leaders-lobby-for-coding-classes-in-5458627.php.
Student Engagement and Opportunities
UC San Diego’s ‘Physics Girl’ Wins National Science Communications Competition
Videos on physics? While some videos on physics have gained a cult-like following and hundreds of thousands of views, the subject that makes most people’s eyes glaze over still can’t compete with entertainers like Katy Perry in the YouTube world. That could change, however, thanks to an energetic young physicist who works as an outreach coordinator at UC San Diego’s Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences and who uses her upbeat and sometimes wacky personality to communicate physics to the public on YouTube with videos that are not only informative, but also fun and cool. Earlier this week, Dianna Cowern was awarded the top video prize for her “What is Color?” video in a national science communications competition by the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at SUNY Stonybrook. To read further and to view the video please visit http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/feature/uc_san_diegos_physics_girl_wins_national_competition?utm_campaign=thisweek&utm_medium=email&utm_source=tw-2014-06-05.
Fab Lab Maker Camp at the New Central Library
August 11-22, 2014 – San Diego, California
12:30 - 5:30 pm Monday-Friday
Fab Lab San Diego and the San Diego Library are collaborating to bring a hands-on Maker experience to youth at the New Central Library. We will be taking a creative approach to building robots, learning about computer programming, 3D printing and 3D modeling. Currently there are only 20 tickets available at the discount Early Bird rate! Ticket price includes materials for student project that they will take home. For more information and to register, please visit http://www.eventbrite.com/e/fab-lab-maker-camp-tickets-3499219259#?utm_source=Youth+Maker+Camp&utm_campaign=maker+camp+send+1&utm_medium=email.
The San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering 2014 Summer STEM Challenge
Students grades K-12 are encouraged to submit a summary of their DIY project with pictures or other relevant materials monthly for review throughout the summer. At the end of each summer month (June, July, and August) a winner will be chosen by the festival’s Management Team at each schooling level (Elementary, Middle, and High School). Monthly winners will be awarded fun “STEM Baskets”. Prizes will include science experiment kits, passes to local STEM attractions, tours of local science companies, and more! The Summer STEM Challenge wants our future innovators to stay excited about learning throughout the summer and aims to provide activities that will not only excite their minds, but also provide a platform for collaborative teaching and learning by sharing these projects with friends and family. For more information and to download an application, please visit http://www.sdsciencefestival.com/summerstem.
Girls Need More Encouragement to Enter IT, BCS Says
CIO UK Magazine
BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, has surveyed its members and found that 79 percent believe the information technology (IT) profession would benefit from having more women in the industry. Women make up about 15 to 18 percent of IT professionals and the percentage has fallen significantly in recent years, BCS says. BCSWomen chair Gillian Arnold considers the small number of women entering the profession to be a threat to the industry and the United Kingdom. "We need to support UK employers who struggle to find IT skills for their organizations and we believe that ignoring 50 percent of the potential workforce because of their gender is ludicrous," Arnold says. To read further, please visit http://www.cio.co.uk/news/workforce-development/girls-need-more-encouragement-enter-it-bcs-says/.
Foreign-Born Ph.D.'s in Science Stay in U.S. After Graduation
Chronicle of Higher Education
Most foreign-born Ph.D.'s studying in the United States remain after graduation, according to a new study from the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. The report found that graduates in computer science and computer and electrical engineering are most likely to remain in the country. Nearly two-thirds of international students in science and engineering fields stay in the U.S. a decade after they earn their doctorates. China and India send the most doctoral students to the U.S. and they are the most likely to remain. The two countries account for 66 percent of foreign science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduates still in the U.S. after five years. Female graduate students are more likely to remain and the difference in the stay rate with men grows over time. Still, educators and elected officials have criticized U.S. visa policy for encouraging international students to leave the country. To read further, pleases visit http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/foreign-born-ph-d-s-in-science-stay-in-u-s-after-graduation/77037.
Faculty News and Information
NASA Invites Proposals For Up To $500,000 in Awards
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. Aligned with NASA's Space Technology Roadmaps and priorities identified by the National Research Council, NASA selected topic areas that lend themselves to pioneering approaches where U.S. universities can help solve tough space technology challenges. To view the announcement and information for submitting proposals, visit http://go.nasa.gov/1mRS9y8.
The Lighter Side – Computational News and Innovations
World's Thinnest Nan wires May Lead to Foldable Tablets, Smartphones
Computerworld
Researchers at Vanderbilt University have created nanowires that are 1/1,000th the width of the microscopic wires used today to connect transistors in integrated computer chips. Just three atoms wide, the tiny metallic wires could eventually enable scientists to create paper-thin, flexible tablets and smartphones. Junhao Lin, a doctoral student and visiting scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, made the nanowires using semiconducting materials that naturally form layers one molecule thick. Scientists have used transition-metal dichalcogenides to build an atomic-scale honeycomb lattice of atoms that has exhibited several important properties such as electricity, strength, and heat conduction, and researchers have created functioning transistors and flash memory gates out of the material. To read further, please visit http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9248004/World_s_thinnest_nanowires_may_lead_to_foldable_tablets_smartphones
