Los Alamos National LaboratoryInformation Science and Technology Institute (ISTI)
Implementing and fostering collaborative research, workforce and program development, and technical exchange

Supercomputer Institute

Technical summer program offering hands-on experience building and operating state-of-the-art and next-generation compute clusters, high-speed networks, extreme-scale filesystems, containers, security, and more.

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May 29, 2024 - August 9, 2024

Program Overview

The Supercomputer Institute is an intense, paid, 11-week, hands-on technical internship for people of all majors interested in the growing field of high-performance computing. You will obtain a thorough introduction to the techniques and practices of HPC; no HPC experience is required. 

The program begins with two weeks of "boot camp". Small teams of interns build, configure, test, and operate an HPC compute cluster starting from scratch, turning a head of equipment, cables, and electricity into a working mini-supercomputer that can run real HPC applications. 

Next, the project phase begins. Teams of interns work under the guidance of HPC Division staff mentors on applied research and development projects that address real challenges currently faced by the division. Some projects use the mini-supercomputers built during boot camp, and others use existing LANL resources. These projects regularly influence the division as well as the field of high-performance computing. 

Finally, teams present their accomplishments as a poster and technical talk to Laboratory management, staff, and fellow interns in an end-of-summer celebration of intern work. 

Professional Development

In addition to the technical portion of the program, interns also participate in fast-paced, focused professional development work, including:

  • Intense mentoring
  • Teamwork and professional collaboration
  • Resume writing and evaluation
  • Technical poster/presentation design and public speaking
  • Technical seminars on current HPC topics. Past seminars include high-speed networking, Linux containers, parallel filesystems, facilities, and more. 
  • Science lectures given by staff from across the Laboratory, from how the Mars Rover works to machine learning/ AI to black hole collisions. 
  • Opportunities to sign up for tours of our world-class facilities, including the magnet lab, particle accelerator, million-core supercomputer, and ultra-cold quantum computer. 

Location

 Los Alamos is a small town in the mountains of northern New Mexico, located an elevation of 7,500 feet. 

The town has an active intern community with various events such as free concerts. Outdoor activities are abundant, including hiking, camping, mountain biking, and rock climbing. Summers tend to be warm, and either dry or with afternoon monsoonal thunderstorms.

2022 Brochure

2022 brochure (pdf)

Additional Resources

HPC Division Intern Programs

LANL Student Programs

Diversity and Inclusion

https://missing.csail.mit.edu/

Join the Supercomputer Institute and gain unique skills attractive to HPC centers and other world-class IT/computing facilities!

Women and underrepresented minorities are especially encouraged to apply.