REU Site: Passionate on Parallel-A Summer Research Program for Women in STEM

计算领域正在发生变化——并行计算将成为未来编程的“默认”方法。向并行过渡的一个核心挑战是缺乏具有并行编程专业知识的劳动力。在这个REU中，我们将培养学生并行编程的基础知识，为他们提供展示并行计算在他们各自领域重要性的研究经验，并帮助他们培养在研究生院取得成功所需的信心。为了使本科生能够参与并行计算提供的革命性新功能，伊利诺伊大学的REU-POP计划（本科生研究经验-对并行充满激情）将招募十（10）名主修科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）学科的大三和大四本科生，参加与他们自己的研究领域相关的并行计算和编程的暑期研究经验。认识到女性在学术和专业计算机科学领域的代表性严重不足，在研究或研究生院选择有限的女性和少数族裔学院，将特别寻求合格的学生。符合条件的学生将完成指定的计算机科学课程，但不需要有并行编程的经验，这在本科阶段很少有。REU的学生将在小团队中结对工作（目前的文献表明，这对编程女性来说是一种成功的学习策略），其中包括一名本学科的教员和一名受过专门训练的研究生导师。通过暑期计划前的在线预备课程、暑期计划开始时为期四天的沉浸式课程、在大学实验室的实践学习、每周的技术会议以及关于当前技术中的并行计算等主题的特别研讨会；研究伦理;技术商业化;以及研究生院的好处，学生将发展并行编程的基本技能，并探索他们自己的STEM学科的研究选择。学生还将与杰出的专业和学术研究人员互动，形成一个由不同的榜样和导师组成的网络，为他们提供职业和研究生选择的建议。我们相信可以鼓励本科生坚持工程项目，特别是计算机科学，通过让他们参与研究，采用多种指导选择，并为他们提供“编程结对”的工作机会。伊利诺斯州的REU- pop项目将在REU的背景下探索这些方法，我们将在公开文献中报告它们的成功，以帮助其他人进行这项工作。该站点由国防部与NSF REU项目合作提供支持。

The computing landscape is changing - parallel computing will be the "default" approach to programming in the future. A central challenge in the transition to parallelism is shortage of workforce with expertise in parallel programming. In this REU, we will train students in the basics of parallel programming, provide them with research experience that demonstrates the importance of parallel computing in their own fields, and help them develop the confidence that they need to be successful in graduate school.To enable undergraduates to participate in the revolutionary new capabilities afforded by parallel computing, the REU-POP program (Research Experience for Undergraduates-Passionate on Parallel) at the University of Illinois will recruit ten (10) junior- and senior-level undergraduates majoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines to participate in a summer research experience in parallel computing and programming relevant to their own fields of study. Recognizing that women are critically underrepresented in academic and professional computer science, qualified students will be especially sought at women's and minority-serving colleges with limited research or graduate-school options. Eligible students will have completed specified computer science courses, but will not be required to have experience in parallel programming, which is rarely available at the undergraduate level.REU students will work in pairs (current literature suggests this is a successful learning strategy for women in programming) in small teams that will include a faculty member in their own discipline and a specially trained graduate mentor. Through preparatory online sessions before the POP summer, a four-day immersion session at the start of the POP summer, hands-on learning in their university laboratory, weekly technical sessions, and special seminars on topics such as parallel computing in current technology; research ethics; technology commercialization; and the benefits of graduate school, students will develop essential skills in parallel programming and explore the research options in their own STEM disciplines. Students will also interact with prominent professional and academic researchers to form a network of diverse role models and mentors to provide advice on careers and graduate school options.We believe undergraduates can be encouraged to persist in engineering programs, particularly computer science, by engaging them in research, by employing multiple mentoring options, and by providing opportunities for them to work in "programming pairs." The REU-POP program at Illinois will explore these methods within the REU context, and we will report on their success in the open literature to assist others in this effort.This site is supported by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program.