Ohio Supercomputer Center’s Summer Institute celebrates 25 years

The group of 16 talented high school students attending the Ohio Supercomputer Center’s Summer Institute will be presenting their research tomorrow evening (June 20) and joining with alumni to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of this high-tech, fast-paced summer experience.

The Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC) has hosted the annual two-week residential summer event since 1990 to provide opportunities for current high school freshman, sophomore and junior students to learn and succeed in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The participants will work on university-level research while using some of the state-of-the-art supercomputers.

In addition to gaining experiences that will benefit their future academic and career pursuits, they also have the privilege of joining accomplished Summer Institute alumni, including individuals who have gone on to study at prestigious colleges and universities, such as The Ohio State University, MIT, Cornell University and Harvard.

“SI helps young, enthusiastic students better understand what real scientists and engineers do,” said Alan Chalker, SI director and a 1991 participant. “OSC continually has provided students with real-world knowledge and experience that they use for the rest of their lives.”

“I attended Summer Institute in 1991 and it was a great experience for me to be programming on the fastest supercomputer in the world at the time,” he said. “My SI experience encouraged me to pursue a degree in electrical and computing engineering at the Ohio State University which led a doctorate in biomechanical engineering and a career in high performance computing.

“It is clear to me that SI has that strong of an influence on nearly every student who comes through the program, and even on the high school teachers that are so essential to the program’s success.”

During SI, held June 8-20 this year, students toured research facilities at Ohio State and lived in campus residence halls. By working on group research projects, students learn communication and leadership skills in addition to gaining research experience. Group projects this year focused on image processing, cancer cells, network design and engineering, and nanofluidics [see the box for details]. At the end of the two weeks, the teams present their research results to an audience of parents, family members, scientists, OSC staff and SI alumni.

Hemanth Koralla, a 2013 SI participant, saw the experience as a great motivator. “SI has given me the extra push I needed to pursue an education in computers and engineering. I can't wait to start my education next year in Georgia Tech for computer engineering,” he said.

OSC also provides additional K-12 programs for STEM enrichment through the Young Women’s Summer Institute, which is held in July. At YWSI, middle school girls explore interesting and practical scientific problems that nurture their interest in science and technology.

NOTE: The following identifies the students participating in SI2014. The list is arranged by last name and identifies the high school each attends along with his or her hometown.