HPCwire: Q&A: Dr. Valentina Salapura

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October 12, 2007

Q&A: Dr. Valentina Salapura

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Valentina Salapura next to Blue Gene/P Dr. Valentina Salapura is a computer architect in the Exploratory Server Systems group at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, where she is helping to define the next generation of computer systems based on chip multiprocessors and parallel processing. She has studied the use of multiprocessor systems in a range of environments, from automotive applications to network processors and supercomputers.

On October 18 at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference, she will be delivering a plenary speech titled Next Generation Supercomputers. We got the opportunity to ask her about her upcoming talk and the significance of the conference to women in the field of computer science.

HPCwire: Tell us about the Grace Hopper Conference and why it is important for women?

Salapura: The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing is an event to bring together the women in the field and to mentor students and colleagues early in their computer science and engineering careers. Like many science and engineering disciplines, it is very male dominated, and it is easy for somebody starting out to feel lonely, isolated and discouraged.

It's important to build networks for women, to help each other out. I attended a recent talk by Prof. Rosser, the Dean of the Georgia Tech, about challenges women face in science and engineering today, and their unequal position compared to male colleagues. Prof. Rosser found that a woman needs 2.5 times more achievements compared to her male colleagues to reach the same level of recognition. That's why it's so important that we support each other and build our own networks.

Take as an example this year's Turing Award winner. My dear colleague and friend Fran Allen was an early pioneer of parallel programming and she received the Turing Award this year. She was the first woman in history to receive it, after 40 men. Fran was also the first IBM Fellow, and the first female president of the IBM academy, our internal think tank. It's been long overdue that a woman is recognized in this way.

HPCwire: Can you tell us more about women pioneers in the field of computer science?

Salapura: There are not many women in computer science. In addition to Fran Allan, whom I already talked about, two names stand out: Grace Hopper and Anita Borg.

Grace Hopper was another one of the early pioneers of computing field. She was behind the definition of a programming language that powers the systems in many banks and financial systems. The conference is named in her honor. It is now becoming a yearly event, and growing rapidly. Last year the event had over 1,200 attendees.

Another key figure, especially for women in our field, was Anita Borg. Anita Borg was one a few women PhDs in our field when she graduated from NYU. She made important contributions to system design in her early career at various companies. But her impact goes beyond her technical work. She recognized early on the need attract and advance women in technology. Anita Borg founded the Institute for Women and Technology. She died in 2003. Today the institute carries her name and continues the work. The institute is the organizer of the Grace Hopper Conference.

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