DALLAS, November 10, 2018 – Women in High Performance Computing (WHPC) will again be leading the conversation on diversity and inclusion in the HPC community at its biggest annual event at this year’s Supercomputing conference (SC18). Women in HPC has grown into an organization and network with global reach, holding programs of events at the major international supercomputing and IT conferences.

“The movement is growing. More and more allies are joining in efforts to support diversity and encourage inclusion. Women in HPC members’ efforts are increasing and we are organizing at the grassroots level. We are now a force that is fostering positive change in the community,” says Dr. Toni Collis, Chair and Co-Founder of WHPC and Chief Business Development Officer at Appentra Solutions.

Last year, WHPC launched a highly effective global Twitter campaign with the hashtag #WeAreHPC, which featured selfies of both men and women working in HPC. The organization is continuing the tradition this year and encourages everyone in the community to celebrate diversity on their teams. WHPC will help share the message throughout its social media channels.

Visit WHPC’s partner booths to continue the campaign onsite and receive your WHPC T-shirt, kindly donated by Arista Networks. The WHPC community will be wearing them on Tuesday, November 13th, to demonstrate its global commitment to inclusion in HPC. WHPC wristbands will also be provided to supporters to wear throughout the week.

Full List of WHPC Activities at SC18:

Sunday, November 11, 9am – 5:30pm: 9th International WHPC workshop, room D220
WHPC’s ninth international workshop will include a series of talks on best practices for diversity, a special session on developing personalized resilience toolkits, and a keynote presentation from Dr. Ruby Mendenhall, Associate Professor in Sociology, African American Studies, Urban and Regional Planning, and Social Work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Monday, November 12, 7:30 – 8:30 am: Mentoring and Chapters Breakfast – invitation only
Thanks to the kind support of AWS, WHPC is delighted to be hosting a Mentoring and Chapters breakfast at SC18. This event is invitation only, but an essential part of building the community of women who excel in the international HPC workforce.

Tuesday, November 13: Diversity Day 2018
WHPC is asking supporters to wear a WHPC T-shirt, courtesy of Arista Networks, and WHPC #WeAreHPC wristbands on Tuesday, November 13th, and tweet selfies of themselves and colleagues to inspire the diversity conversation at SC18. T-shirts and wristbands can be collected from the Sunday workshop or WHPC Chapter Booths during the Monday Evening Gala:

• University of Michigan (booth #1204)
• EPCC (booth #280)
• PRACE (booth #2033)
• Numerical Algorithms Group (booth #2310)
• Purdue University (booth #1005)
• Compute Canada (booth #2303)

Tuesday, November 13: 6:30 – 9:30 pm: Networking Reception

Join WHPC at the third annual WHPC@SC networking reception at Cafe Herrera on Lamar (at the Omni Dallas) for a special networking evening with appetizers and drinks. The event is hosted by Anchor Supporter Intel in collaboration with Career Supporters Compute Canada, EPCC, Lenovo, IBM, NAG, NCSA, and University of Michigan, and our Diversity and Media Supporter Science Node. Come celebrate the work done by WHPC and meet members, founders, advocates, and supporters. Places are limited, so register soon.

Wednesday, November 14th, 12:15pm – 1:15pm: BoF – The importance of male allies.

In a male-dominated field such as HPC, male allies are particularly vital to ensure that women advance equitably in their careers. Research shows that men who work to support, mentor, and sponsor their women colleagues are viewed favorably, while women advocating for equity are viewed unfavorably. Organizations with effective male allies exhibit improved career satisfaction and better retention of women. In this BoF, panelists will explore how male allies have made a difference in their careers and contrast their allyship with examples of exclusionary experiences.

About Women in HPC

Women in High Performance Computing (WHPC) was created with the vision to encourage women to participate in the HPC community by providing fellowship, education, and support to women and the organizations that employ them. Through collaboration and networking, WHPC strives to bring together women in HPC and technical computing while encouraging women to engage in outreach activities and improve the visibility of inspirational role models. Women in HPC is stewarded by EPCC at the University of Edinburgh. For more information visit http://www.womeninhpc.org.

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Source: Women in HPC