Undergraduate Educational Pathways for Developing a High-Performance Computing Workforce
Peter J. Hawrylak, John C. Hale, Mauricio Papa · 2017
The need for college graduates with high-performance computing (HPC) skills is rapidly increasing with the greater interest in tasks requiring big data processing. Major needs in medicine, geosciences, and data analytics, among other disciplines, drive demand for an HPC literate workforce. This paper presents a new Computer Science minor for high-performance computing (HPC) and a state-wide competition that provide a structured environment for development of graduates with the skills needed to enter the HPC workforce. The HPC minor is designed to provide undergraduate science and engineering students with a foundation in HPC basics to pursue advanced HPC study in graduate school or enter the HPC workforce. The minor is available to a wide range of disciplines with a minimum of additional required coursework to minimize cost. The HPC cluster competition provides a structured environment for high-school, undergraduate, and graduate students to gain experience in HPC and to spark their interest in the field.