By Lara Timm, South African Centre for High-Performance Computing
Cover photo: Timm with Bryan Johnston (CHPC) in front of the rainbow steps of the Klaus Computer Science Building at Georgia Tech University.

I feel immensely grateful to have had the opportunity to attend this incredible showcase in Atlanta, Georgia! As a girl from Africa, it’s difficult to even imagine the scale of the production that is the SC conference series. Eight glorious days of conference later, I return to Cape Town feeling fulfilled, invigorated and excited for what’s to come in my career and journey with HPC. How did it all go down you ask?? Well, let me tell you!

Day 1: ART@SC24 Jet-Lag Day

Day one was the first day of ART@SC24, a two-day pre-conference workshop which is an initiative of Elizabeth Leake and STEM-Trek. The ART@SC24 cohort visited Georgia Tech for a day of talks, networking and inspiration! Stand out sessions for me were Thad Starner’s presentation on mobile apps for learning American Sign Language, Bryan Johnston’s presentation on his experience of the Georgia Tech Online Master’s of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS) and the tour of Georgia Tech’s makerspace: The HIVE. Let me tell you, if you’re like me and you just want to make cool things, this is the place to let your imagination run wild! It makes total sense to me that Georgia Tech is the source of oodles of innovation and brilliance.

The HIVE from the outside, unassuming but full of brilliance!

Day 2: ART@SC24

The second day saw my first visit to the Georgia World Congress centre! We were warmly welcomed to this workshop day by Elizabeth and had a jam-packed day ahead! 41 attendees representing 16 nations gathered together to learn about HPC and AI, where different voices presented on topics such as training, neural networks and the challenges associated with AI and ML. I felt a bit out of my depth in this crowd, with so many experts in such advanced topics presenting – yet it was an incredible opportunity to start to build my networks in this space. The evening event was a trip to Medieval Times (a completely foreign and novel experience for a girl from South Africa!). The event included horses, knights, battle and a feast. It was a lot of fun and a night I will never forget.

With Daniel and Weronika representing team red and gold!

Days 3 & 4: Workshops and Tutorials

Sunday and Monday featured a wealth of interesting workshops and tutorial sessions, giving delegates an opportunity to get hands on with the tech. Stand out sessions for me were the ‘Best Practices for HPC Training and Education’ workshop, where I was privileged to present the amazing work of the Wits HPC special interest group (SIG) alongside John Poole from Clemson CHG, and the WHPC workshop which focuses in inclusivity and diversity for all. This was the third WHPC workshop that I have attended, and once again I left feeling inspired to be the start of the WHPC representation in Africa going forward. My favourite talk of the day was by AJ Lauer, who spoke about Imposter Syndrome – a highly relatable affliction that 85% of all people experience!

With John Poole (Clemson) representing the Wits HPC SIG at the BPHTE workshop

Days 5-8: Conference proper and Exhibition

Tuesday to Friday were filled with lots of amazing opportunities for me. With a number of planned engagements my days were filled with meaningful conversations, thought provoking sessions and fun.

First up was a Tuesday BoF session on Mastering the Art of Science Communication. The BoF provided attendees a framework for developing content to communicate complex science topics and an opportunity to practise it. I thoroughly enjoyed co-organising this session. Tuesday was also my opportunity to represent the HPC Ecosystems Project as part of the Illuminations Pavilion exhibition. I was fortunate to receive funding support from this group to showcase HPC excellence in Africa and I used the session to highlight the project and some of its superstars in HPC. Ending the day with the WHPC networking event was a wholesome and delicious way to end the first official conference day!

My presentation at the HPC Illuminations Pavillion representing the HPC Ecosystems Project

Wednesday saw my first scheduled slot at the HPC around the world exhibit. What a fun way to represent the origins and work locations of delegates at SC24! For the BoF session, Super(computing) Heroes (an initiative of the European chapter of WHPC), I was given the opportunity to speak on a panel talking about some topics regarding being a woman in HPC from an African – and my own personal – perspective. My favourite part of Wednesday, however, was the opportunity to take on some borrowed celebrity status and to receive the HPC Wire 2024 Readers’ Choice Award for Outstanding Leadership in HPC on behalf of my wonderful colleague Bryan Johnston for his outstanding work on building the HPC community in Africa! All of the representatives from our African HPC community were there to receive the award with us!

Thursday featured some in-person meetings, an opportunity to present on the HPC Ecosystems Project at the CalTech booth, a last look around the exhibition hall and an opportunity to give feedback to the Inclusivity Committee on how the Illumination’s Pavillion award recipients found the whole experience. It was a chilled and wonderful end to the whirlwind of the previous days! The technical reception at the Georgia Aquarium stole my heart, with all of the creatures showing off in their best fashion.

By Friday, my social battery had run out. I spent the day viewing the online experience from my hotel room and preparing for my voyage back to Cape Town on Saturday.

We came, we saw, we conquered! It was a wonderfully fulfilling week of activities, friendship and growth! Thank you to the SC Inclusivity Committee for making this trip possible for me, to Elizabeth Leake and STEM-Trek for the support and fantastic pre-conference workshop and to Bryan Johnston for the opportunity to represent HPC Ecosystems in the international forum. The only thing I would do differently next time? Eat a peach in the Peach State!

Below: Bryan’s award made it home to him – well deserved! The Tech Program reception at the Aquarium offered an iconic whale shark exhibit. Receiving Bryan’s award from Tom Tabor (Tabor Communications) with Elizabeth Leake receiving her award for STEM-Trek! Panelists and organizers of the Super(computing) Heroes BoF Session, and the HPC Around the World exhibit map looking wonderfully populated!