SIGHPC Immersion

Students should be first-time attendees with little to no HPC experience or exposure. Prior to SC, an introduction to high performance computing (HPC) will be provided to participants.

We understand that students that are in the early stages of their academic path may not know many professionals or faculty yet, so the requested recommendations are viewed as a support document as opposed to a critical factor in the application. Please reach out to us if you have any difficulties finding a recommendation.

We expect each participant to attend the entire conference in-person. As balancing school and the conference can be a challenge, students will need to work with their faculty and/or academic advisor to determine how to move assignment dates or complete work early. We are happy to work with the students that get accepted to determine what works best for them.

We are looking for students who will use this experience to shape them both academically and professionally. We plan to accept between 15 and 20 students that are ideally early in their undergraduate academic path. We are looking for applicants that may not have the privilege of participating in an HPC activity. For example, you may be from a community college or university that doesn’t have access to a supercomputer, or doesn’t teach any courses related to HPC. In the application, please note such examples as opposed to a list of your accomplishments.

 Additionally, students are welcome to apply to more than one Students@SC program.

What if I graduate during the time of the conference?

You must be enrolled as an undergraduate, both at the time you apply and at the time of the SC conference.

What if I am only enrolled part-time?

You may be enrolled either part-time or full-time during both the application time and during the conference. Keep in mind that the conference week will require at least 15-20 hours of participation.

Can high school or graduate students participate?

Not at this time. You must be enrolled as a first-time undergraduate college student, both at the time you apply and at the time of the conference.

Is eligibility limited to students majoring in computer science?

Not at all. We welcome applications from students who are in non-computing fields/across all disciplines (i.e. forestry, agricultural or life sciences, liberal arts, etc.) who have an interest in HPC.

Do I have to know a computer programming language?

No. You are not required to have coding experience.

What support is provided?

Expenses covered include air travel, a stipend for meals and incidentals, housing, and Technical Program registration (including Workshops).

Are students eligible if they are studying outside the United States?

Yes!

Do I have to be a member of ACM, IEEE, or SIGHPC to apply? 

No. Applicants do not have to be members of any group in order to apply.

Can I apply to more than one program/opportunity (i.e. Student Volunteers, Student Cluster Competition, etc.)?

Yes! Applying to multiple programs is encouraged. Go for it!