Big Data, Big Compute, and the Glue that Holds it All Together
 Bill Gropp, SC13 General Chair
Big data. It's everywhere right now and, although it’s very trendy today, the concepts underpinning big data are real and we have only begun to understand the magnitude of data that science, finance, healthcare, among many other fields will produce over the next decade.
What will scientists do with these massive mountains of data? Big data often needs big compute, and supercomputing centers are doing much to prepare. But there is also the question of data mobility. The era of shipping hard disks over FedEx is ending as a new paradigm supported by an ecosystem of advanced, highly capable research networks is beginning to emerge. The physics community has long understood the value of networking to their science, and the same will soon be true for many other disciplines including climate, life sciences, and materials science research.
Over the years, SC has been home to SCinet, which since its inception in 1991 has become the primary proving ground for many exciting advances in networking. Leading-edge technologies like dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM), 100 Gigabit per second optical interfaces, Openflow/Software-Defined Networking, and dynamic virtual circuits all had early debuts in SCinet and are now used industry wide .
This year, SCinet will boast close to 700 Gigabits per second (Gbps) of bandwidth, and this number could grow to nearly 1 Terabit (or 1000 Gbps) of capacity as we continue to work with equipment vendor collaborators who are implementing the next generation of optical network technologies. In addition, this year SCinet is continuing its legacy of pushing the boundaries of networking research through its Network Research Exhibition (NRE).
Taken all together, the many activities of SCinet have a major impact on the way data-intensive science is performed around the world.
While you are at the Conference this year, stop by the SCinet Network Operations Center and get a firsthand look at the impressive network equipment supporting this massive effort. We will also host a large live display showing the real-time performance of the network as well details on the entire SCinet operation. And for you security buffs, SCinet sniffs out unprotected passwords and puts them anonymously on display too!
As you get ready to showcase your research this year, tell us how you plan to use 700 Gbps of bandwidth? Drop us a tweet at #SC13 #SCinet.
SC13 Keynote Speaker Genevieve Bell: Exploring HPC's interaction with Society
 Australian anthropologist and researcher Genevieve Bell is set to bring a new perspective to the international supercomputing community as she delivers the keynote talk at SC13 this November. Dr. Bell will officially open the conference in her keynote address on Tuesday morning.
“Supercomputing as a discipline is uniquely valuable in our society,” observes William Gropp, the Thomas M. Siebel Chair in Computer Science at the University of Illinois, co-creator of MPI, and the general chair of SC13. “From more absorbent diapers to better medicines and technologies for a sustainable future, the benefits of HPC are felt everywhere, every day. As a global leader in the effort to understand how technologies support and transform society, Genevieve’s talk will help our community better understand how we can relate to society more effectively, extending the reach of HPC even further than it goes today.”
Bell was a researcher at Stanford until she joined Intel Corporation in 1998 as a cultural anthropologist studying how different cultures around the globe used technology. She was named an Intel Fellow in November 2008, one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company in 2010, is a Thinker in Residence for South Australia, and in 2012 was inducted into the Women In Technology International Hall of Fame.
Many of Bell’s fascinating talks on human interaction with technology can be found online, including her TedXSydney talk, “The Value of Boredom”, at http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDxSydney-Genevieve-Bell-The-V.
Attention Exhibitors: Get Your Booth Network Connections Now!
Do you need a network connection in your SC13 booth? The SCinet
Connection Request System (CRS) makes that possible. SCinet is the high
performance network that provides all the networking connections for the
conference. Using the CRS, booth managers can make requests for any kind of
network connections (such as 10- or 1- Gigabit Ethernet) that is needed to
support demonstrations, business meetings, or any other event you might hold
in your booth.
SCinet emailed all booth manager contacts on August 1, 2013 with
information on how to use the CRS including login and password
information. If you do not know the contact for your
exhibitor/organization or did not receive an email, please contact
the SCinet Helpdesk by sending email to
support@scinet.supercomputing.org
Connection requests can be submitted at any time, but a late fee must be
charged for new connection requests after September 30th, 2013. The CRS will
close for new connections on October 16th, 2013.
Accepting requests to participate: August 1, 2013 - October 16, 2013
PLEASE NOTE: Late fees apply after September 30, 2013 For more
information: https://scinet.supercomputing.org/
Nominations are Now Being Accepted for the 2013 HPCwire Readers' Choice Awards!
 August 7 - September 4, 2013
Submit your entries now!
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2013 HPCwire Readers’ Choice Awards. The HPCwire Readers’ Choice Awards is a way for our readers worldwide to play a hands-on role in the awards process, and honor their own from amongst the best and brightest innovators within the global HPC community today. It's an honor and a privilege for HPCwire to be able to present these prestigious awards live at SC each year, but we can't do it without your active participation.
Do your part - play a proactive role in the election process and make your voice heard! Nominate your favorite candidates for the 2013 HPCwire Readers’ Choice Awards now!
Only those candidates submitted through the nomination process are eligible to compete as finalists in the September elections, where our HPCwire readers will make the final decision on the recipients of the 2013 HPCwire Readers’ Choice Awards.
Nominations close at midnight on September 4, 2013. No late submissions will be accepted.
Please use the link below in the banner and text newsletter announcement
Show Your Work at SC13 Keynote and Plenary Sessions, Submissions due October 18
The keynote and plenary sessions at SC13 will feature an SC-sponsored "Walk-in Video Loop" which will run before and after these sessions as attendees arrive and depart. This is a highly-visible platform to showcase HPC projects that can be shared via video, or images. We hope to show a wide range of ideas and are especially looking for projects that demonstrate visualization as an integrated role in the research process.
We are now accepting submissions.
- Content will be projected on a high definition surface that is 32' by 18' with a 16x9 ratio. Submissions should be at least 1920x1080 pixel resolution at 30 frames per second.
- Files should be submitted in a standard Quicktime or Windows codec format.
- Please include a separate file with your organization's logo, along with the names and photos of people involved in the project (if available).
- Participation is FREE!
- Upload files to http://submissions.supercomputing.org - using the "Walk In, Walk Out video" submission form
- Please clearly label your files with your company or institution name.
If you have any questions please email: walkinvideo@info.supercomputing.org
Soliciting Exhibitors for Participation in the Scavenger Hunt at SC13
The SC13 Broader Engagement (BE) program invites exhibitors to participate in their annual Scavenger Hunt for engaging participants at their booths and increasing their brand recognition. The scavenger hunt participants are challenged to find booths based on clues provided, and the winners are awarded prizes. You can participate in two ways:
- Being a destination in the scavenger hunt
- Sponsoring a prize for the scavenger hunt winners
Destination volunteers can participate by submitting three clues that will lead the participants to your booth.
They should be something the participants will be able to figure out based on information presented verbally and/or visually in your booth.
Prize sponsors can choose to provide gift items and/or cash rewards. Previous year's prizes included iPads, cameras, Kindles, Amazon giftcards, etc. The prizes will be attributed to the sponsors with a note on the prize, and sponsors will be acknowledged during the BE wrap-up session when prizes are awarded.
Interested exhibitors should contact Yashema Mack at (ymack@utk.edu) or Veronica Bustamante at (vmejiab@gmail.com) by Friday, September 13, 2013. We look forward to hearing from you!
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Hotel Rooms are Filling Fast!
More than half of our 21 hotels are already full. If you haven't already made your hotel reservations for November, now is the time.
All SC13 hotels are located close to the Colorado Convention Center - more than half of them are within 3 blocks. Therefore, no bus transportation will be provided. A range of prices is available, and free internet access is included with all rooms booked through the SC13 website. Check individual hotel sites for details about on-site restaurants, fitness centers, and other amenities.
For complete information, and to book now, check out the SC13 website at http://sc13.supercomputing.org/content/hotels.
Call for Interest for SC Steering Committee Members
Nominations for three openings on the SC Steering committee are now open and will close on September 16, 2013. The term for a Steering Committee member is 4 years (beginning January 1, 2014). Steering Committee members are volunteer positions. Steering Committee members are expected to attend at least one face-to-face meeting a year (three meetings are held annually, every January, June, and November), as well as to participate in monthly one-hour teleconferences. Travel to the face-to-face meetings is at the member’s own expense. To nominate a person or to nominate yourself for a position on the Steering Committee, send an email to nominations@info.supercomputing.org giving the candidate's name, a paragraph describing how the candidate meets the following criteria, and a recent curriculum vitae (CV) that highlights professional and SC experience.
- Familiarity with and passion for the SC conference
- Ability to advocate effectively for HPC in the broader community
- Willing and able to commit the time necessary to participate in meetings
Other ways to volunteer
The Steering Committee keeps a list of people interested in serving on a conference committee and provides these names to upcoming General Chairs. Typically, a volunteer begins as a reviewer of submissions or a member of a Conference committee, and over the years can take on different roles and responsibilities including possible committee leadership roles. If you’re interested in being a volunteer, please fill out the form at www.supercomputing.org/volunteer.php and we’ll make sure your info is
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