Impacting Young Professionals at the International Supercomputing Conference

ITS Team Member Serves as Early Career Program Chair

Nov 09, 2022 

Inspiring and mentoring the next generation of information technology employees is no small feat. ITS team member Dr. Marina Kraeva is ready for that opportunity at a global level. Kraeva, a member of the ITS High Performance Computing team, will lead the Early Career Program at the 2022 international supercomputer conferencing Nov. 13-18 in Dallas, Texas.

What is the international supercomputing conference?

The conference, known formally as the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis, brings together students, researchers, educators, employers and industry leaders. The ITS HPC team has a long history of attending the conferencing, dating back to the inaugural event in 1988.

The 2022 schedule of events includes a cluster-building competition and a showcase of the latest research. Add to that over 350 exhibitors, dozens of workshops, more than 70 group discussions and of course, the Early Career Program.

The Early Career Program

The Early Career Program offers a series of sessions for people in the early stages of their careers, within the field of high performance computing. The sessions are designed to help participants navigate a successful career path while understanding the challenges and opportunities of the field today. 

Kraeva was invited to serve as chair of the program during the 2021 supercomputing conference. She began her work right then, attending conference committee meetings and planning for the year ahead.

“I’m honored to serve as the Early Career Program chair,” said Kraeva. “I’ve been attending the international supercomputing conference since 2000. I wanted to give back to this community while representing Iowa State’s commitment to career-readiness.”

Next Kraeva assembled an 11-person committee to assist in planning and promoting the 2022 program. The team began reviewing programming from previous years to design sessions that would be fundamentally helpful yet offer something new.

Schedule of Events

Kraeva and team put together an outstanding all-day event that includes a welcome address by Kraeva and sessions for networking, work-life balance and communication skills. The day concludes with a social opportunity focused on mentorship.

Schedule of Early Career Program Events

Monday, November 14

Who Attends?

Those interested in attending the Early Career Program must submit an application. They must also be working in a permanent position for less than five years. 

The application itself asks for a written statement addressing why an individual wishes to participate. Submissions were accepted from mid-February through July. Kraeva and team then evaluated all the submissions and selected participants in August.

“This year, our program will get to help about 30 early-career researchers, educators and technical professionals to advance their careers,” said Kraeva.

Those selected to attend the Early Career Program were also invited to six early-bird sessions held virtually throughout October and November. Sessions ranged from “Putting Together Your Sideshow” to “Preparing Effective Grant Proposals” and more.

ECP attendees will then arrive in Dallas on November 14 for the in-person programming.

Inclusivity is a Priority

While a selective application process may seem to contradict the notion of inclusivity, the Early Career Program keeps inclusion a top priority. In fact, the Early Career Program falls within the purview of the conference’s Inclusivity committee. Other conference committees include Lecture and Plenaries, Technical Program and SCInet, to name a few.

To learn more about this year’s conference – SC22 – please visit sc22.supercomputing.org