“I decided to volunteer at this year’s Supercomputing Challenge because I like to give back and I wanted to help students in the same way volunteers helped me when I was part of the program,” said Marquita Romero of the Office of the Chief Information Officer (IST-OCIO).
In 1998, during her junior year at Española Valley High School, Romero and three other students participated in the Supercomputing Challenge. Their teacher was Tom Lopez. The team received the Environmental Modeling Award for their study of methane clathrates and whether one of its components could be used to create alternative energy.
"It was great exposure to the scientists at the Lab,” explained Romero." I was able to gain experience with giving presentations and computer programming. It was a very well-rounded experience."
The computer programming experience sparked Romero’s interest and she earned her master’s in business administration degree with a concentration in management information systems from New Mexico Highlands University in December 2005.
Romero began working as a high school co-op student at the Lab in 1998. In August 2006 she became a graduate research student and recently was converted to a limited-term staff member. She works on the Enterprise Architecture PRIDE (Product Realization Integrated Digital Enterprise) Initiative, helps maintain the Information Architecture Web site out of the Office of the Chief Information Officer, and helps create institutional information technology standards and guidelines.
"I think it is a good thing to help with because I was involved in the program during high school and had a very positive experience," Romero said of the Supercomputing Challenge.
The year-long challenge concludes today and Tuesday at Los Alamos with poster presentations and an awards ceremony.
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