Season 2, Episode 5 -- Improving Computing Performance and Workforce Diversity

Science in Parallel

35:02

The healing power of fitness goes far beyond physical benefits—for today’s guest, it’s a form of self-expression and a celebration of what the body can do. In this episode, host Nora McInerny sits down with fitness personality Ivylis Rivera, who shares her deeply personal journey of navigating life with Chronic Migraine while holding onto her passion for movement. Ivylis opens up about the struggle of staying active while facing the fear of triggering a headache or migraine attack and the resilience it takes to keep pushing forward—a resilience that carried her through the challenging journey of finding a Chronic Migraine treatment plan that worked for her. Join Nora and Ivylis as they explore the concept of “soft living,” a philosophy Ivylis embraces—staying active, listening to your body, and building trust in oneself. Click here for Product Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide, or visit https://abbv.ie/prescribing_info See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

3 years ago 27:31

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Valerie Taylor doesn’t shy away from challenging problems with multiple layers. At Argonne National Laboratory, she manages teams that develop algorithms, data management strategies, software and hardware to support scientific simulations, including those on the Department of Energy’s leadership-class supercomputers. Her research focuses on performance analysis—the factors involved in making computations efficient. On top of that, she maintains a parallel line of work supporting computer scientists from historically marginalized communities toward building a more diverse computing workforce.

You’ll hear Valerie talk about her career path, what excites her about computing, and the sustained commitment needed to boost diversity, equity and inclusion in this field. You’ll meet:

Valerie Taylor is the director of the mathematics and computer science division at Argonne National Laboratory. She moved to Argonne in 2017 after more than 25 years in academia at both Northwestern University and at Texas A&M University. She also is the president and chief executive officer of the Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in IT (CMD-IT), a non-profit dedicated to supporting historically marginalized communities in computing.

32 episodes

Science in Parallel

Season 2, Episode 5 -- Improving Computing Performance and Workforce Diversity

Science in Parallel

published 3 years ago

MP3•Episode home

You’ll hear Valerie talk about her career path, what excites her about computing, and the sustained commitment needed to boost diversity, equity and inclusion in this field. You’ll meet:

32 episodes

All episodes

Science in Parallel

1
S6E3: Jackson Burns: Avoiding Chemical Dead Ends 26:01

9 days ago26:01

26:01

Chemists and chemical engineers have modeled molecules for decades, but artificial intelligence and foundation models offer the prospect that researchers could train models with predictive abilities in one area of chemistry that could be fine-tuned for another. Trustworthy chemistry foundation models could help streamline the experimental time and resources needed to discover new medicines or design new batteries. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ph.D. student Jackson Burns is working on these questions. He describes the promise and challenges of building foundation models in chemistry, his work on chemprop, and his advice to other researchers interested in working on foundation models for chemistry and science in general. You'll meet: Jackson Burns is a Ph.D. student in William Green's chemical engineering group at MIT. He's also a third-year Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE CSGF) recipient. He completed his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at the University of Delaware.…

Science in Parallel

1
S6E2: Prasanna Balaprakash: Predicting Earth Systems and Harnessing Swarms for Computing 30:51

5 weeks ago30:51

30:51

In the second episode in our series on foundation models for science, we discuss Oak Ridge National Laboratory's work and hear about lessons learned from the recent 1000 Scientists AI Jam, a recent event that brought together researchers from several Department of Energy national laboratories, OpenAI and Anthropic. My guest is Prasanna Balaprakash, ORNL's director of AI programs. We talk about how foundation models could help with climate forecasts and his team's 2024 Gordon Bell finalist research and futuristic work that applies principles of swarm intelligence for managing distributed computing resources. Prasanna Balaprakash has been the director of artificial intelligence programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) since March 2023. Previously he had worked as a postdoctoral researcher and staff computer scientist at Argonne National Laboratory. He was a 2018 recipient of a Department of Energy Early Career Research Program award.…

Science in Parallel

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S6E1 - Ian Foster: Exploring and Evaluating Foundation Models 29:53

12 weeks ago29:53

29:53

Large language models aren't just powering chatbots like ChatGPT. This type of computational model is an example of a particular flavor of artificial intelligence known as foundation models, which are trained on vast amounts of data to make inferences in new areas. Although text is one rich data source, science offers many more from biology, chemistry, physics and more. Such models open up a tantalizing new set of research questions. How effective are foundation models for science? How could they be improved? Could they help researchers work on challenging questions? And what might they mean for the future of science? This episode begins a series where we'll explore these questions and more, talking with computational scientists about their work with foundation models and the opportunities and challenges in this exciting, rapidly changing area of research. We'll start by talking with Ian Foster of Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago about AuroraGPT, a foundation model being developed for science and named for Argonne's new exascale computer. You'll meet: Ian Foster is a senior scientist at Argonne National Laboratory where he directs the data science and learning division. He’s also a professor of computer science at the University of Chicago . He is the co-leader of the data team for Argonne's AuroraGPT project.…

Science in Parallel

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S5E7 - Computational Scientists Discuss 2024 Nobel Prizes 12:17

18 weeks ago12:17

12:17

Wrapping up our discussion of the 2024 Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry, computer scientist Mansi Sakarvadia and computational structural biologist Josh Vermaas talk about the recent prizes and what they mean for science. You'll hear about how the prizes both break down research barriers and introduce concerns about misinformation and public trust. The research honored with the chemistry prize has already changed how researchers study questions that involve understanding proteins' structures. For more on the 2024 Nobel Prizes, check out our recent interview with Anil Ananthaswamy . You'll meet: Mansi Sakarvadia is a Ph.D. student in the computer science department at the University of Chicago and a current Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellow . She studies ways to interpret how machine learning models work. Josh Vermaas is an assistant professor at Michigan State University. His research in computational structural biology focuses on understanding photosynthesis and energy transfer processes in plants as part of the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory .…

Science in Parallel

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S5E6 - Anil Ananthaswamy: AI's Nobel Moment 32:17

23 weeks ago32:17

32:17

2024 was artificial intelligence’s Nobel Prize year with the physics and chemistry prizes recognizing the underpinnings and application of these algorithms. Science journalist and author Anil Ananthaswamy spent years writing a popular book, Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI , that explores the equations and historical context for this technology. In this conversation, Anil and host Sarah Webb explore that math and history, the significance of these Nobel Prizes for both AI and science, and the challenges that come with this powerful and fast-moving technology. You’ll meet: Anil Ananthaswamy is an award-winning journalist and journalist-in-residence at the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing at the University of California, Berkeley. Previously he has worked as a staff writer and editor for New Scientist magazine. He has written four books including Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI (Dutton, 2024).…

Science in Parallel

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S5E5 - Sadie Bartholomew: Patterns in Computing and Art 28:36

27 weeks ago28:36

28:36

The annual Supercomputing meeting (SC24) convenes November 17-22 in Atlanta with the theme of HPC creates, and Science in Parallel previews a special display at the meeting: the Art of HPC . Host Sarah Webb interviews Sadie Bartholomew of the United Kingdom's National Centre for Atmospheric Science and the University of Reading about her work as a research software engineer and her passion for creative coding. She submitted several pieces of digital art that will be displayed at SC24. Sadie discussed the many patterns in her work—within weather and climate, in coding and in digital art. She makes her pieces using matplotlib, a visualization tool in Python. She talks about the synergy and fulfillment she finds at the interface of computing and aesthetic pursuits.…

Science in Parallel

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S5E4 - Paulina Rodriguez: Building Credibility and Authenticity 30:55

32 weeks ago30:55

30:55

Early in her applied math journey, Paulina Rodriguez was a little skeptical of calculators and computers. But her desire to really understand what’s going on under the hood has ultimately led to satisfying research. During her Ph.D., she’s explored the credibility of computational models for medical device applications, making sure that researchers understand the accuracy, validity and uncertainty of simulated results. Paulina shares how she honed her problem-solving skills and creativity as she navigated her education. Her enthusiasm and determination are infectious, and she describes her personal struggle to bring her whole self to her work. You'll meet: Paulina Rodriguez , a Ph.D. student in applied math at George Washington University and a fourth-year recipient of the Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE CSGF). Paulina completed her bachelor’s degree at University of California, Santa Cruz and master’s degree at Claremont Graduate University, both in mathematics. Her current research focuses on establishing methods for assessing the credibility of computational models for medical device applications, work that she’s doing at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico in collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Episode artwork created using ChatGPT from prompts by Paulina Rodriguez.…

Science in Parallel

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S5E3 - Paul Sutter the Spaceman: Adventures in Science and Outreach 45:38

36 weeks ago45:38

45:38

Science communication often attracts people with diverse interests, who thrive in multiple roles. Paul Sutter is no exception: he’s an astrophysicist, host, author and more. He’s also a visiting professor at Barnard College, Columbia University. Paul’s roots are in computational science, and he shares how his many projects continue to build on that foundation. We also discuss his most recent book: Rescuing Science: Restoring Trust in an Age of Doubt, which critiques today’s scientific enterprise and and offers ideas for supporting a better future. You'll meet: Paul M. Sutter is a theoretical cosmologist, science communicator, media host, NASA advisor and U.S. cultural ambassador. He is currently a visiting professor at Barnard College, Columbia University. He completed his physics Ph.D. in 2011 at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he was supported by a Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship . He also held a joint position as chief scientist at the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus, Ohio, and as a cosmological researcher at the Ohio State University.…

Science in Parallel

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S5E2 - Rogelio Cardona-Rivera Plays Games for Science 46:09

40 weeks ago46:09

46:09

Video games are everywhere, but the fundamental elements that generate human reactions such as suspense or surprise aren’t understood. Instead, game designers start from scratch each time they want to build a new experience for players. Rogelio Cardona-Rivera of the University of Utah wants to understand games and the fundamental elements that make people respond as they do—as a science of games. The research is important for more than just gaming—Rogelio is working on a variety of projects, including artificial intelligence research, technology for Indigenous storytelling and virtual reality in math education. Join us for a conversation about the emerging field of technical games research that also dives into the creative and communications challenges of working at the bleeding edge of disparate fields: computer science, cognitive science, narrative and more. You’ll meet: Rogelio Cardona-Rivera is an assistant professor of games at the University of Utah. Rogelio completed their Ph.D. at North Carolina State University in 2019, supported by a Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship and funding from the National GEM Consortium . Their undergraduate degree is in computer engineering from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez.…

Science in Parallel

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S5E1 - Lois Curfman McInnes: Building Software Sustainability and Broadening Workforce Participation 25:26

45 weeks ago25:26

25:26

The field of high-performance computing (HPC) currently faces dual challenges: important technical problems that require a skilled workforce and the need to recruit more computational researchers. This conversation with Lois Curfman McInnes of Argonne National Laboratory examines both the complexity in building scientific software and the work needed to build the HPC workforce of the future. You'll meet: Lois Curfman McInnes is a senior computational scientist in the mathematics and computer science division at Argonne National Laboratory . She served as deputy director for the software technology focus are of the U.S. Department of Energy's Exascale Computing Project and completed her Ph.D. in applied mathematics at the University of Virginia.…

Science in Parallel

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S4E4 - Anubhav Jain: Hacking Materials 32:53

2 years ago32:53

32:53

Artificial intelligence is reshaping research to discover new materials for a range of important applications. In this episode, meet Anubhav Jain of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a researcher who has been at the forefront of this transition. He uses machine learning and other computational tools as a materials scientist to discover compounds that could store and convert energy and solve other societal problems. Anubhav’s current research path started in graduate school at MIT, where he was supported by a Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship . We discuss how computational tools including AI have moved from a novel idea to a central piece of materials discovery, how he applies machine learning tools to other tasks such as mining data from scientific papers, and the rewards that came from writing his blog called Hacking Materials . This episode concludes our season 4 series on creativity in computing.…

Science in Parallel

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Season 4, Episode 3 -- Danilo Pérez: Embracing Versatility 37:30

2 years ago37:30

37:30

Sometimes extraordinary circumstances like the pandemic offer researchers unexpected opportunities to serve others. Danilo Pérez, now a Ph.D. student in computational neuroscience at New York University, found himself in this situation in Puerto Rico in 2020. He contributed his mathematical modeling expertise as part of a team that built and maintained Puerto Rico’s public health data during that intense period. Later he contributed to AI-based modeling of coronavirus variants that won major honors in the computing community: the 2022 Gordon Bell Special Prize for HPC-Based COVID-19 Research. These days Danilo is developing computational tools to understand value-based decision making at NYU, a process that can be applied in economics, medicine and public policy. We discuss how compelling science problems have propelled his training, how music and family support him, and his focus on citizen-facing science, especially in Puerto Rico. You’ll meet: Danilo Pérez, a Ph.D. student in computational neuroscientist jointly advised by Christine Constantinople and Cristina Savin in NYU’s Center for Neural Science. He is a current recipient of a Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship ( DOE CSGF ). This conversation was recorded in July 2023 at the Annual Program Review of the DOE CSGF in Washington, D.C. Read more about Danilo and his work in DEIXIS .…

Science in Parallel

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Season 4, Episode 2 -- Casey Berger: Choose Your Own Multidimensional Career 29:46

2 years ago29:46

29:46

Traditional science career advice often urges people to specialize and become the best at one activity. But that perspective can undervalue interdisciplinary researchers and other polymaths who can see connections between and beyond science and engineering fields. This episode’s guest, Casey Berger, describes how she has navigated this second approach, embracing her many interests, such as science, computing, teaching and storytelling, to make her mark as a physicist and data scientist and as a fiction author. In the second episode of our podcast series on creativity in computing, Casey talks about her path to physics and computing via Hollywood. She describes the challenges and opportunities of interdisciplinary work, how she pursues her many interests and her advice for building a sustainable, joyful life and career. You’ll meet: Casey Berger is an assistant professor of physics and data science at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2020 and was supported by a Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE CSGF). She earned bachelor’s degrees in physics from Ohio State University and in philosophy and film production from Boston University. Casey is also a science fiction author . Her latest novel Sister from the Multiverse , part of the Choose Your Own Adventure series, was published in October 2023. This conversation was recorded in July 2023 at the Annual Program Review of the DOE CSGF in Washington, D.C.…

Science in Parallel

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Season 4, Episode 1 -- Creativity in Climate Modeling 36:53

2 years ago36:53

36:53

Season 4 of Science in Parallel centers around creativity and computing, starting with an interview about climate modeling. At this nexus of physics, earth science, mathematics and computing, researchers are also racing against the clock to accurately predict how global climate is shifting before the changes happen. Pulling all the scientific pieces together and communicating those results so that others can use them are significant creative challenges—ones that both Tapio Schneider and Emily de Jong of California Institute of Technology have embraced. In our conversation, Tapio and Emily describe how both the science and societal impact of climate modeling motivate them, how outdoor activities and music shape their perspectives, and how they view creativity both inside and outside the lab. Later in the episode, Tapio shares his experience as a science advisor to the ClimateMusic Project —an artists’ collaboration that’s producing music and video pieces that explore climate change and solutions to the climate crisis. You’ll meet: Tapio Schneider is a professor of environmental science and engineering at Caltech. He’s a member of the Climate Modeling Alliance (CLiMA) a team of scientists, engineers and applied mathematicians from Caltech, MIT and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory working on a new earth system model that uses computatational and data-science tools to harness Earth observations and make more accurate climate predictions. He spoke about that research at the 2023 Annual Program Review of the Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE CSGF) program in July. Emily de Jong is a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering at Caltech working in Tapio’s research group. She is a DOE CSGF recipient, who completed her undergraduate degree at Princeton University in 2019.…

Science in Parallel

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Season 3, Episode 5 -- Beyond Exascale: Exploring Emerging Hardware 41:16

2 years ago41:16