Move the Needle

Knowledge Portal

Welcome!

Move the Needle is a collaborative project between Alces Flight and Women in HPC (WHPC) focused entirely on the efforts people are making to transform our field of supercomputing to one that is more diverse and inclusive.

This is our knowledge portal. It is where we will house any information we learn from our community as our first season goes along.

We invite you to look around and read / listen to anything and everything! If you are looking for reports from our Accountability Team then jump to their page! Link is below.

Program Building and Development: The Winter Classic

After years of diving deep into student cluster competitions Dan Olds (of Intersect360 Research) began to explore the concept of making HPC even more approachable and accessible. Now in its fourth year, the Winter Classic Invitational Student Cluster Competition (ie. ‘Winter Classic’) is churning out new HPC talent by the server load. Find out how Dan’s creativity and persistence has built an incredible program.

Links below to all the content generously provided to us from the volunteers of the Winter Classic.

Personal Development: Tranformation through Coaching

When looking to move the needle, sometimes the first (and often best step) is to start with yourself. Through a mix of creative design and research-backed methods, Vahsti Whitfiled approaches her coaching by integrating psychological, neuroscience, and emotional intelligence aspects. In her interview she shares the many different approaches to coaching, and how having the right coach can help you develop the tools you need to succeed.

Mentorship: Nurturing Growth

Planning for the future involves creating a lasting legacy, and according to Jay Lofstead of Sandia National Laboratories, mentorship plays a crucial role in ensuring a brighter tomorrow. Explore how Jay orchestrates mentorship programs and shares insights on fostering growth in our latest Move the Needle feature.

Engagement: Putting People First

Since 2011 the ISC High Performance Conference Series has been working towards a steady build up of social sustainability programs.

From their first Global Engagement Group to their recent expansion of Early Career and Collaboration Partnerships find out why this conference strives for both technical and social inclusion.

Special thanks to Nages Sieslack, who kindly gave her time to talk about social engagement at scale.

Social Sustainability and HPC

The Green Computing Workshop, hosted by the UKRI KTN, provided Alces Flight and Women in HPC with a platform to explore the critical question: “How can we hire and maintain HPC/AI skills for the long haul?”

Over a one-hour interactive discussion the group explored skills gaps, the definition of ‘competency,’ if we are building up the right support networks for staff, and the importance of creating an environment where people can feel safe enough to fail in order to grow.

Coming Soon: Education in HPC

We visited the University of Edinburgh’s uCreate Facility with Dr. Ludovic Capelli to explore what makes up the ‘ideal HPC graduate’ at university. (Guess what? It has nothing to do with technical skills!)

Bonus: Dr. Capelli was also interviewed by our “kid intern,” where he shared the subjects he loved as a child that eventually led him to a career in HPC. Additionally, he provided an entertaining tutorial on how to tie a tie!

Coming Soon: Allyship in HPC

Women and underrepresented communities face significant barriers to entry in the field of HPC and technology at large. One effective way to help them overcome these challenges is through allyship. Dr. AJ Lauer of Thriving Ibis Leadership Solutions explains the big and small actions anyone can take to develop stronger allyship skills in supercomputing and beyond.

Halfway Report

Our project officially reached the halfway point on July 8, 2024. Thanks to input from our experts, alongside of the A-Team and overall community, we are pleased to present our 13-page briefing outlining the lessons we have learned to date.

This report is for public use, however, if you do happen to utilise our work please be sure to give the folks at Women in HPC and Alces Flight a quick shout-out of thanks.