ALCF Student Summer Program
Every summer, the ALCF opens its doors to 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 spanning from scaling up deep learning benchmark applications for exascale computing to compressing data for AI models that can give us insights into nuclear fusion, and had 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. Campers were required to have coding experience and learned techniques for probing and analyzing massive scientific datasets, such as the dataset from the Array of Things (AoT) urban sensor project. Participants were also introduced to the foundational concepts underlying artificial intelligence and machine learning and why supercomputers are so important to use these tools effectively. This camp was organized by Argonne’s Educational Programs and Outreach staff and taught by ALCF scientists and visualization experts, hosting 12 participants in 2024. For more details, visit the camp website.
Breakthrough Tech Sprinternship Program
ALCF participated for the first time in the Breakthrough Tech Sprinternship program, run in partnership with the University of Illinois Chicago. The program offers quick and immersive micro-internships designed to support computer science undergraduates who identify as women and non-binary. ALCF hosted a team of 5 students for a 3-week program in which the developed a program to more effectively track allocations awards and their impact on scientific publications. All students were offered an extension to their sprinternship through the end of Summer 2024, and 4 of the 5 students accepted the extension.
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 build friendships as they work together to solve coding-related challenges. For a recap on the 2024 event, read the article on our website.
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 need coding skills. For a recap on the 2024 event, read the article on our website.
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 discover engineering careers alongside Argonne’s world-class scientists and engineers. Participants hear motivational presentations by Argonne engineers, tour the lab’s cutting-edge research facilities, connect with mentors, engage in hands-on engineering experiments, and compete in a team challenge.
Introduction to AI-driven Science on Supercomputers: A Student Training Series
The AI-driven Science on Supercomputers 7-8-week webinar series is aimed at undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at U.S. universities and community colleges and designed to attract a new generation of AI users by having a low entry barrier; that is, attendees need to have only a basic experience with the Python programming language as the pre-requisite. 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. The programs run in 2024 trained just over 500 attendees from over 100 universities from the U.S. and beyond, 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 female 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’s women scientists and engineers. For a recap of the 2024, read the article on Argonne’s website.