UW Students May Attend Rocky Mountain HPC Symposium at Reduced Rate

University of Wyoming students and post-doctoral researchers have the opportunity to attend the Rocky Mountain High Performance Computing Symposium, scheduled Aug. 12-13, at a reduced rate.

Due to support from industry sponsors, all graduate and undergraduate students from UW, as well as the Rocky Mountain region, may attend for $30, and post-docs can enroll for $75. The fee includes all materials, sessions and meals for the two-day event. These rates are significantly reduced from the regular registration fee of $150 for the conference, which will take place in the Wolf Law Building at the University of Colorado-Boulder campus.

“Because we've had such great success in signing up industry sponsors for this year's symposium, we are able to offer a greatly discounted enrollment to graduate and undergraduate students and post-docs who might be interested in attending,” says Dan Jorgensen, a member of the symposium planning committee.

Sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Advanced Computing Consortium (RMACC), of which UW is a member, the annual event brings together designers and users of high-performance computing systems from universities, government laboratories and industry throughout the Rocky Mountain region. Research, education and best practices will be discussed. UW hosted the conference in 2013.

This year’s symposium -- the fourth annual -- features sessions designed specifically for students, who will have the opportunity to learn about careers in the field of high-performance computing, interview and resume skills, and strong production skills. It also will feature special beginner-level tutorials for students who wish to learn how to use a variety of advanced computing skills in their research.

The symposium features a series of tutorials covering many aspects of high-performance computing system design and use, nationally recognized speakers and group breakout sessions called “Ignite Talks.”

RMACC also will sponsor a student research poster competition, with winners receiving a paid trip to attend Supercomputing 2014 Nov. 16-21 in New Orleans.

“For faculty and researchers, it’s a way to get out there and see what’s going on with other regional members and network with their contemporaries,” Tim Brewer, end use support manager for information technology at UW, said previously. “And students gain major exposure to the world of supercomputing by going to the conference.”

Brewer says staff from UW’s Advanced Researching Computing Center (ARCC) plan to attend, and he expects some UW faculty to be there. In addition, he expects UW students in computer science, engineering and mathematics will want to go. The conference also may draw interest from UW’s botany and molecular science students, he adds.

To register for the symposium or learn more about the poster competition, go to www.rmacc.org/hpcsymposium/registration or call (303) 735-3838.