Inspiring Students

Through camps, internships, and training programs, the ALCF helps students gain valuable experience with HPC and AI, opening the doors to potential career paths in computing.

ALCF's Joseph Insley gives an overview of scientific visualizations to a group of students participating in an Argonne computing camp.

ALCF Student Summer Program

Every summer, the ALCF welcomes a new class of student researchers who work alongside staff mentors to tackle research projects that address issues at the forefront of scientific computing. In 2024, facility hosted more than 40 students ranging from high school seniors to Ph.D. candidates. Students contributed to ALCF projects ranging from scaling deep learning benchmark applications for exascale computing to compressing data for AI models that provide insights into nuclear fusion, gaining hands-on experience with some of the most advanced computing technologies in the world. For a recap of the 2024 program, read the article on our website.

Big Data Camp

Argonne’s annual Big Data Camp introduced high school juniors and seniors to the advanced tools used by professional data scientists. Students learned techniques for probing and analyzing massive scientific datasets, including data from the Array of Things urban sensor project. Participants were also introduced to the foundational concepts of AI and machine learning, along with the importance of supercomputers in effectively utilizing these tools. This camp was organized by Argonne’s Educational Programs and Outreach staff and taught by ALCF scientists and visualization experts. For more details, visit the camp website.

Argonne's John Domyancich leads hands-on activities demonstrating how neural networks and classification models are used for data analysis at the lab's annual Big Data Camp.

Breakthrough Tech Sprinternship Program

The ALCF participated for the first time in the Breakthrough Tech Sprinternship program, run in partnership with the University of Illinois Chicago. Aimed at providing immersive micro-internships for computer science undergraduates, the program placed a team of five students at the ALCF for a three-week assignment, during which they developed a tool to more effectively track allocation awards and their impact on scientific publications. All participants were offered an extension to their sprinternship through the end of the summer, with four returning to continue work at Argonne.

CodeGirls@Argonne Camp

The annual CodeGirls@Argonne Camp hosts sixth- and seventh-grade girls each summer for a five-day event dedicated to teaching them the fundamentals of coding. The camp highlights the essential role that women have played throughout history in technology development and invites lab researchers to talk to the students and share how they turned their coding interests into careers. The girls in the camp work together to solve coding-related challenges. For a recap on the 2024 event, read Argonne’s article on CodeGirls@Argonne Camp.

Coding for Science Camp

Aimed at high school students, Argonne’s Coding for Science Camp features programming activities that link computational science with current scientific challenges. Over the course of the week-long camp, the students enhance their problem-solving and teamwork skills through hands-on activities, while discovering how computing is useful and often essential to solving problems in science. They also get an opportunity to interact with Argonne staff members to explore the diverse career pathways that require coding skills. For a recap of the 2024 event, read Argonne’s article on the 2024 Coding for Science Camp.

CSEdWeek/Hour of Code

As part of the national Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek) and the Hour of Code in December, ALCF staff members provide in-person and virtual talks and demos to Chicago area schools to spark interest in computer science. Working with students in classes from elementary to high school, the volunteers led a variety of activities designed to teach the basics of coding. CSEdWeek was established by Congress in 2009 to raise awareness about the need to elevate computer science education at all levels.

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day

ALCF staff members regularly serve as mentors and volunteers for Argonne’s Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (IGED) program. The annual event gives eighth-grade students a unique opportunity to explore STEM careers alongside Argonne’s world-class scientists and engineers. Participants hear inspiring talks by Argonne staff members, tour state-of-the-art research facilities, connect with mentors, engage in hands-on experiments, and compete in a team challenge.

Introduction to AI-driven Science on Supercomputers: A Student Training Series

The ALCF’s annual AI-driven Science on Supercomputers training series is designed for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at U.S. universities and community colleges, with the goal of growing a new generation of AI-ready researchers. This year’s focus was on introducing participants to foundational concepts in AI and ML and then diving into the fundamentals of large language models. ALCF computer scientists led the weekly sessions and hands-on exercises along with talks by Argonne scientists who use AI in their research. To date, the series has hosted over 700 attendees from over 100 universities, including undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, and faculty from fields spanning computer science to materials science to biology. For a recap of the 2024 event, read the article on our website.

Science Careers in Search of Women

ALCF staff members continued to contribute to Argonne’s annual Science Careers in Search of Women (SCSW) conference. The event hosts high school students for a day of inspiring lectures, facility tours, career booth exhibits, and mentoring. SCSW provides participants with the unique experience to explore their desired profession or area of interest through interaction with Argonne scientists and engineers. For a recap of the 2024, read the article on Argonne’s website.