Aug. 1, 2018 — Texas Women in HPC (TX-WHPC) has been recognized as one of the first Chapters in the new Women in High Performance Computing (WHPC) Pilot Program.

“The WHPC Chapter Pilot will enable us to reach an ever increasing community of women, providing these women with the networks that we recognize are essential for them excelling in their career, and retaining them in the workforce,” says Sharon Broude Geva, WHPC’s Director of Chapters and Director of Advanced Research Computing at the University of Michigan. “At the same time, we envisage that the new Chapters will be able to tailor their activities to the needs of their local community, as we know that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to diversity.”

Texas Women in HPC is co-chaired by Melyssa Fratkin, Industrial Programs Director at the Texas Advanced Computing Center, and Carolyn Devany, President of Data Vortex Technologies.

The group will bring together professional women in industry, academia, and government from the advanced computing community across the state. TX-WHPC will provide a venue for knowledge-sharing, networking, support, and visibility for women by engaging in initiatives to raise awareness and broaden diversity in HPC.

“We know that there are plenty of amazing women in advanced computing in a variety of domains across Texas,” says Fratkin. “The strength of WHPC is in the networking and knowledge-sharing, but also the camaraderie that comes from finding support and encouragement in the community.”

“At WHPC we are delighted to be accepting Texas Women in HPC as a Chapter under the pilot program, and working with them to build a sustainable solution to diversifying the international HPC landscape,” said Toni Collis, Chair and co-founder of WHPC and Chief Business Development Officer at Appentra Solutions.

Through webcasts, in-person meetings, and mentoring, TX-WHPC will bring women together to share experiences, learn new skills, and increase the diversity and awareness in advanced computing and related fields. With more than 40,000 open computing jobs in Texas, and a higher than average salary associated with these jobs, the emphasis is on making technology workplaces a more welcoming place for women and minorities.

Devany is a second-generation technology pioneer. “As president of a small tech company in Texas, I know how hard it is to succeed. And I know how important it is to be surrounded by strong, like-minded women who are striving to make a difference in the world.”

TX-WHPC will be co-hosting an inaugural event with WHPC during the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis (SC18) in Dallas in November.

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Source: TACC