Supercomputing Challenge brings New Mexico students to Los Alamos
Budding computer scientists present their work and tour LANL facilities
The 36th Annual Supercomputing Challenge brought 16 teams of middle and high school students from across New Mexico to Los Alamos April 20 and 21 to present the results of their yearlong computing projects and celebrate the award winners.
Judges selected the winners at the expo at the J. Robert Oppenheimer Study Center at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The students also toured facilities including the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies and the Data Communications Center.
In the challenge, students work in teams and follow their own interests to choose a topic to computationally model with help from mentors. Through the yearlong program they learn coding skills and teamwork as well as practicing grit and persistence.
“I am always impressed with the students in our state. We are so proud to be able to show their abilities,” says David Kratzer, executive director of the challenge.
The winners of the main prizes were:
First Place: Tate D. Plohr, Los Alamos High School
Project: Dust Busters: The effects of dust scattering on observations of X-ray binaries
Second Place: Jaden Rand, Santa Fe Preparatory School.
Project: Pacing optimization for cycling performance through neural evolution
Third Place: Harrison Schiek, Albuquerque Academy
Project: Understanding 3D printing through atomistic polylactic acid segmental dynamic analysis
An evening reception was held at the Bradbury Science Museum April 20 where Laboratory Director Thom Mason stopped by to greet the participants and recognize Kratzer for his 36 years of involvement in the Supercomputing Challenge. Kratzer was awarded the Laboratory’s Community Relations Medal in 2025.
At the awards ceremony on April 21, seven high school seniors taking part in the Challenge received college scholarships, and participants also won awards for categories such as teamwork, technical writing, environmental modeling, and community impact. See the full list of award recipients.
The two-day event was supported by 40 Laboratory volunteers who judged presentations, escorted tours, gave demonstrations and provided logistical support. Several of the volunteers were alumni of the Supercomputing Challenge, returning to help encourage the next generation.
Challenge partners include Los Alamos National Laboratory, Laboratory operator Triad National Security, Sandia National Laboratories, and the New Mexico Public Education Department.
