How to Make the Best Out of SC as a Student
Are you a student attending the Supercomputing conference for the first time? I prepared this guide so you can make the best out of this experience.
👋 I am Ana, a PhD student in Computer Engineering at Northeastern University, holding Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Brazil. I have attended SC 5 times: 2018 and 2019 as a Student Volunteer, 2020 and 2021 as a Lead Student Volunteer, and in 2022 as a ACM SIGHPC Computational and Data Science Fellow.
SC is the world’s largest conference in High-Performance Computing so it can be very overwhelming if you have no idea of what to expect. That is why I prepared this guide for in person attendees based on my experience as both an international and national student attendee.
First things first: read the SC code of conduct carefully — Allies are crucial for a smooth and comfortable SC experience, so be sure to report any issues!
Set a goal
SC can be overwhelming because there are a lot of sessions happening at the same time, people you will meet and spend some unplanned time chatting, events that you will end up going with your group, etc.
My top advice for students attending SC is to set a clear goal. Your goal can be specific, like getting an internship, or successfully presenting your work, but it can also be broader. For example, in my first year at SC as an undergrad student in Brazil, my goal was to learn what was being done in international HPC research. It was eye-opening to discover that the tools and techniques I used in the south of Brazil were similar to those employed by graduate students in countries with more HPC resources. In my second year, I already knew what interested me technically in the conference and I target sessions relevant to my field, so my goal was to build connections. I networked a lot, connected with people during and after the conference, forming lasting friendships with students I still continue to meet at HPC conferences.
Schedule up!
Check the Supercomputing schedule and add your favorite sessions to your calendar. You can filter by track or keywords. You can mark sessions as favorites in the portal and soon also keep track of them in the SC app. I like to organize a spreadsheet with the top sessions I want to attend and also a second and third option in case I want to switch. Also, I used to put a small bio for presenters in sessions I wanted to connect with, making it easier to initiate conversations.
đź”— SC23 schedule: https://sc23.supercomputing.org/
Networking
SC is all about networking. You will have the opportunity to engage with people developing cutting-edge research in HPC from several institutions in the USA and around the world, to chat with leaders of top computing facilities and from the biggest companies, and to connect with other students — the best part!
A great thing about SC is that you have the opportunity to talk with anyone, despite their career level. When you meet someone at the conference remember of introducing yourself, tell them who you are working with or connected to, and ask questions. They may offer internships or other opportunities after a conversation.
Remember that your generation of students will be your generation of colleagues in industry, academia or in laboratories in the future. Nurturing this sense of community with your peers is essential in this stage of your career. They can share their technical and non-technical experiences and guide you on your next career decisions.
Ensure your LinkedIn profile is up to date. This is usually the go-to platform to connect after the conference. Bringing a QR code to your profile is even better so people can easily find you.
Students@SC Program
Every year, SC presents the Students Program, with a set of opportunities and events in the first days of the conference for graduate or undergraduate students attending the conference.
SC First Timers
This session will give you an introduction about the conference, the venue, and the program. It is open to all attendees.
Student Volunteers
You will spot a lot of students wearing a special SC jacket in some sessions. SC annually selects students from all over the world to volunteer during the conference. Volunteering at SC is a great experience! If you spot one of the volunteers for this year do not hesitate to ask about their experience. Volunteers get a free registration and lodging.
Cluster Competition
Teams of undergraduate students from universities from all over the world spend two days building, operating, and optimizing powerful cluster computers. You can find the teams working inside the Exhibitors Hall.
Guided Interest Groups
These initiative started as a way to engage SC grad and undergrad students into a small community to share their technical knowledge. You will gain fundamental insights into various subjects such as fundamentals of HPC, machine learning and performance analysis, and have the opportunity to discuss them with both experts and novices.
Mentoring
The Speed Mentoring event is one of my favorites. You can talk to HPC professionals from academia, industry and national laboratories and learn from them. You will be paired with someone when you arrive and throughout the session you will have brief 10 minutes interactions with other mentors. Be prepared with your Elevator Pitch to introduce yourself. Also, there is no need to limit yourself into just finding mentors during these events. In one of my virtual participations I found one of my mentors thanks to the “Carers in HPC” video series published in the SC YouTube channel. I wanted to learn more about this person’s career and experiences and message him on LinkedIn after the conference.
Resume Workshop
While not yet officially listed on the website, there will be a resume review workshop for students on Tuesday, November 14th from 2–5pm . I recommend bringing the most up-to-date version of your resume and stop by to have a couple of people checking it. It is a highly valuable activity, specially if you are setting new career goals.
Technical Events
Workshops and Tutorials: Several workshops and tutorials will be held concurrently during the first days of the conference. They are more specialized sessions. You will have the opportunity to learn directly from experts across various HPC fields. Workshops can be half or full-day, so you can attend more than one in the same day. I always put the Women in HPC Workshop in my calendar — it is always a highlight!
Keynote: After two days of workshops and tutorials, the SC Keynote officially opens the conference on Tuesday morning. Every year, SC brings a prominent figure with experience in HPC to deliver a one hour and a half talk followed by a Q&A with the audience. This is one of the few non-overlapping sessions, as attendance is expected, and it is very worth it to attend. If you check the list of past keynote speakers here you will find names as Seymour Cray, Michael Dell and Bill Gates.
Also check the Papers, Panels and Posters presentations for this year!
Other fun sessions
Top500: The Top500 is an annual list that showcases the latest achievements in HPC infrastructures by listing the most powerful supercomputers in the world. It is a fun event, to see the HPC facilities celebrating, press registering everything and learn more about the biggest advances in HPC infrastructures.
Awards ceremony: This brief ceremony presents the awards related to SC technical tracks and fellowships. It can be a great motivation boost for your next years in HPC on targeting such prestigious recognitions.
Birds of a Feather: Commonly referred to as “BoF”, these sessions gather a group of people in a panel discussion format to engage in discussions about specific topics. It usually has 4 presenters that will briefly share their perspectives on the topic followed by an extensive discussion with the audience. If there is a BoF on a topic of your interest your should definitely go! It is the best way to become more involved in the community of your research topic.
Job Fair
Some of the companies, universities, government agencies, and research laboratories come every year to recruit people for full-time and intership positions. There is usually people working in technical positions with open spots and HR people ready to talk to you. Bring some copies of your resume (around 5 to the resume workshop + job fair is good) and business cards. Some companies will accept your resume online so have the document easily accessable.
You can check the list of organizations for this year here. In this page you can also access templates and tips to improve your resume. You can also submit your resume to be shared with the participant organizations, even if you are not attending SC.
Exhibitor’s Hall
To access this area you will need to have a complimentary ticket. The exhibitor’s hall is a huge space featuring booths from several companies, universities, government agencies, and research laboratories, each with one or more employees showcasing their work. There are different audiences that can benefit from this hall, mainly: people making decisions on buying new software and hardware for their institutions, people wanting to learn more about research being made in other universities and laboratories, people interested in learning more about cutting-edge HPC solutions.
You can find the list and a map of all the booths for this year here. The booth owners want to call your attention so this area is also know by the several swags, free snacks, coffees and drinks you can get during the day. There are also several drawing happening (I once got an Apple Watch!) and there is usually one booth that takes professional photos.
On Monday, a Gala Reception, opened to all students registered at Students@SC, will open the space.
SC24 Booth
Every SC has a booth for the next year’s conference where you can learn more about the venue, get a free shirt, pins, stickers, and bag tags. The shirts goes fast so be sure to stop by right after it opens! People from the committee are there so it is also a chance to connect with them if you are interested in getting involved with the organization of SC. The booth is usually located near the registration.
After hours
Several companies offers free breakfasts, happy-hours, lunch and dinner events during the conference week. Typically, seats are limited and you need to register ahead. Be sure to take a look on the SC sponsored emails you may receive before and during the conference. Some events cater to specific groups such as facilities leaders, companies, or students. It is important that you read the events’ descriptions before registering — there were cases when this was not clear and they banned students from participation. Important: unfortunately attending those activities are not under the SC code of conduct, so I highly suggest you go with a group of friends.
Some of the events already open (bring your badge!):
- SC23 Alumni Networking Event
- Women in HPC Networking Reception
- Alces Flight famous Moose swag
- BeeGFS User Group Meeting
- Microsoft at SC23
- NVIDIA at SC23
- Intel at SC23
- Dell event
- Rescale event
- AWS for Research Breakfast
- Beowulf Bash Event
- AWS and NVIDIA reception
Want to find more? Just search for #SC23 #SC #Supercomputing #IAmHPC in the social medias and you will find other nice events to enjoy in Denver.
Packing list: here are some itens to consider bringing based on all the experiences you will have during the SC week:
- Resume
- Business cards
- Business professional clothes — at least one if you are doing the professional photo. Events and conference days are usually casual, do not worry too much about it, just ensure you feel comfortable and warm in Denver, because the venue temperature is very chill
- Comfortable shoes — convention center is huge and you will walk a lot from session to session, inside the Exhibitor’s Hall, or to commute to the social events which are mostly nearby
- Extra luggage space for all swags you will collect at the Exhibitor’s Hall
Check the pictures: if you would like a sneak peek of what to expect, browse pictures from previous SCs here: https://sc22.supercomputing.org/attend/media/resources/
Food, transportation and internet: specially for international students traveling to the US with a different currency. Many events during the SC week offer free food and snacks; Team up with friends or colleagues to make transportation within the city more safe and convenient; Every year SC provides the fastest internet connectivity in the world, so do not worry about having wi-fi at the venue.
Communication: If English is not your first language, don’t worry about it and engage in conversations! SC has attendes from all over the world and I personally never had an issue with communication even when I attended for the first time — my first year in the US, with fewer experiences speaking in English. Don’t be shy, feel free to ask questions during sessions and approach people you would like to connect with.
Again, it is all about networking: meet up to have coffee, lunch, or watch a session with people you will connect with during the conference. This is a once a year opportunity to share your research and leave a make a lasting impression.
These are the most important information in my experience attending SC as a student, but it is not everything that SC can offer you! If you have questions or want to know more about topics I did not cover please comment here or reach out to me on my LinkedIn.
đź‘‹ I hope you have a great time in Denver and a great experience at SC23!
