HPC Summer School 2024

This two-week residential programme in High Performance Computing (HPC) in Edinburgh will comprise practical training and the opportunity to practise skills in a real-world context. We welcome applications before May 6th from a wide range of students regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, abilities/disabilities, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status.

Background

High Performance Computing (HPC) is the use of powerful processors, networks and parallel supercomputers to tackle problems that are very computationally- or data-intensive. The use of supercomputers is central to many areas of academia and industry including atomistic simulations to discover new materials, design of more efficient cars and aeroplanes, climate prediction and simulations of the entire universe from the big bang to the present.

The same HPC programming techniques can be used to program the world’s largest supercomputers containing hundreds of thousands of processors or to exploit the full potential of a multi-core laptop or graphics processor. Efficient use of modern HPC systems requires knowledge of compiled languages such as C or C++, and using parallel features from compilers or libraries to run a calculation across thousands of processors at the same time.

EPCC, part of the University of Edinburgh, is the UK's leading centre of Supercomputing and Data Science expertise. We work to accelerate the effective exploitation of novel computing throughout industry, academia and commerce. This has been our mission for over 30 years and we are renowned internationally for innovation and leading-edge research. We host some of the UK's most powerful HPC systems including the UK National Supercomputing service ARCHER2 and run a number of MSc programmes in HPC.

In the Summer School you will learn the fundamentals of how to use HPC systems, including transferable skills in software development and performance programming.

Logistics

Accommodation for the full two weeks, travel (from within the UK) and a subsistence allowance of a total of £490 are provided by the programme. The programme is open to undergraduate students at UK universities with an interest in learning about HPC.

The programme will be hosted by EPCC at the University of Edinburgh and students will have access to ARCHER2, the UK national Tier-1 HPC service. With over 700,000 CPU-cores, it is the UK's largest supercomputer.

To enhance collaboration, networking and social opportunities, the programme will accept a small cohort of around 12 students.

Summer school dates

The Summer School will run from Saturday 22nd June 2024 to Saturday 6th July 2024.

Programme structure

The programme will combine three elements:

  • Hands-on practical training where you will learn everything you need for the summer school
  • Working with example HPC programs and applying the techniques you have learned from the training (eg analysing and improving performance)
  • Meeting experienced HPC practitioners, coaches and peers (PhD and MSc students).

Application process

Applications will close on Monday 6th May. 

You will be asked to demonstrate the following academic requirements and interests:

  • A motivation for learning more about HPC and developing your programming skills
  • Being a competent programmer in one of C, C++, Fortran, Java or Python (self-taught programmers are welcome)
  • Studying a UK undergraduate degree in a relevant area.

Your application will consist of:

  • A series of short questions to assess your motivation, experience and the benefits you will gain from this opportunity
  • A short resume/C.V. including information on relevant courses from your current degree
  • Links to any repositories showcasing your own work (optional).

Eligibility

The programme is open to undergraduate students at universities within the UK. We expect that the Summer School will appeal to students in the following subject areas (but we will consider other disciplines):

  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Biology
  • Computer Science
  • Mathematics
  • Engineering
  • Geosciences.

Deadlines

  1. You must submit your application before 11:59 AM BST on Monday 6th May 2024, using the form available at this link.
  2. If you are shortlisted, you may be invited for a remote interview which are planned to take place during the week commencing 13th May 2024. Please ensure you are available during this week; a range of times will be offered to suit various schedules.
  3. We plan to inform applicants of the outcome by the end of week commencing 20th May 2024.
  4. We will need confirmation of your acceptance within a week of receipt.

Finances, travelling and accommodation

Accommodation within Edinburgh and travel within the UK (to/from your University town/city or transport hub near non-term time address) will be provided.

The accommodation provided will be self-catered and a subsistence allowance of £490 will be paid to summer school participants to support their time in Edinburgh.

Contacts

If you have any questions, please contact us at info@epcc.ed.ac.uk and we will be pleased to help.