NSF KY EPSCoR has an exciting Student Volunteer opportunity for students from all EPSCoR states. They would like to involve at least two students from each EPSCoR jurisdiction, particularly women, and we’ll need your help to do that. There are no specific skills required to serve as a student volunteer; they encourage undergraduate and graduate students to apply to help with the administration of the conference. Some of the benefits of their participation are included below.
Serving as a Student Volunteer at a premier international conference significantly increases a student’s interest in and awareness of High Performance Computing (HPC) which includes all the areas of cyberinfrastructure. Students become much more confident in their capabilities and are integrated into an exciting community where they meet and interact with the top professionals in the HPC field. A frequent comment from SC conference participants is why didn’t anyone tell them about this before!? Women, particularly, are surprised that there are so many female scientists and engineers present, and they are delighted to meet them and have professional discussions with them. This is a very good way to increase the number of women professionals in HPC!
Student Volunteers will be given the opportunity to participate in activities that are designed just for students, in addition to the regular conference offerings. The student activities include professional development workshops as well as technical talks by famous researchers and industry leaders. They will have the opportunity to learn about and discuss the latest HPC and networking technologies, meet top people in the field from around the world, meet other students and establish their own network with them, see firsthand the many components included in cyberinfrastructure, and contribute to the success of the SC13 conference.
Student volunteers are expected to be available to work 4-5 hours per day during the week of the conference. As indicated earlier, no special skills or experience are required for most volunteer positions, but some familiarity with computing platforms, audio/visual equipment or office equipment is helpful…as is fluency in another language, if translation is needed.
In exchange for volunteering, students will receive complimentary conference registration and meals. Conference registration provides access to all tutorials and workshops, technical talks, panels, the Tech Program reception (the major social event of the conference), and more.
There is some support for housing, but this assistance is limited, so students who don’t require this support will increase their odds of selection. However, EPSCoR students without housing funding will be considered.
So, NSF KY EPSCoR is asking for three things:
1. Recruit students from your jurisdiction to participate…there is no guarantee of acceptance, but they will be given some consideration in view of their underserved rural regions of the country (EPSCoR) status.
2. Make a commitment to the transportation/housing expenses of students from your jurisdiction to travel to SC13 in Denver, CO, November 16-22, 2013.
3. Provide them with a list of students you recruit…and also consider students from your jurisdiction who apply on their own.
When notified of selection, student volunteers must provide a source for their travel funding…your contribution will be the clincher for their acceptance. Also, a very important and sometime overlooked requirement is a letter of recommendation from their advisor or a faculty member. Their application will not be processed without such a letter. Instructions are on the application page noted above.
Student Volunteer applications opened April 1, 2013, and will close July 31, 2013. Applications for the students to complete are available at the SC13 Submissions site: http://submissions.supercomputing.org/ Additional questions, mail to: student-vols@info.supercomputing.org
If you have any EPSCoR related questions, please feel free to the NSF KY EPSCoR director, Barbara A. Kucera at bakuce2@uky.edu
Thank you for your participation in this effort and for enabling EPSCoR students to take an important step across the digital divide.