The University of Queensland’s Research Computing Centre (RCC) helped students explore career and research opportunities in high-performance computing (HPC) at a UQ Computing Society speed-dating-style event on 24 September.
RCC Policy and Liaison Manager Dr Marlies Hankel represented HPC at the “What is CS?” event at UQ, joining professionals from industry and academia to share their experiences with students.
The speed dating-like format gave students eight minutes at each professional’s table to ask questions about research and careers, or hear directly from the experts about their work, before rotating to the next table.
Marlies said the most common question she received was whether HPC was a type of optimisation.
One of the most interesting questions came from a student who had already built a small computer cluster and wanted to know whether clusters and HPC systems were based on the same principles.
“They were very interested to learn how this all works at scale,” Marlies said. “Most people ask about how they can get access to or how to use HPC and supercomputers. Most questions are usage focused. It was nice to get questions on how to build a HPC instead and someone thinking about supercomputing from a supply and support angle.”
The event welcomed high school students, university students at all levels, and people already working in the field. Participants could speak with professionals working across a diverse range of areas, including HPC, quantum computing, game development, cybersecurity and robotics.
The UQ Computing Society organised the event to help attendees navigate the many study options, research opportunities and career pathways available in computer science.
By connecting students directly with professionals, “What is CS?” offered an opportunity to explore different routes into the field and discover where a career in computer science could lead.
