Supercomputing Education Project
Supercomputing Education Project
The Russian Federation Presidential Commission on the modernization and technological development of Russian economy Project "Formation of Highly Qualified Supercomputing Technology and Dedicated Software specialist training system" is now complete. The idea of the project was proposed by Rector of Lomonosov Moscow State University, academician Sadovnichy V.A. in 2009. The project was granted an immediate approval by the President of the Russian Federation D.A. Medvedev and planned for the period of 2010 òÀÔ 2012. Under the project, the program to create a complete system of Russian Supercomputing Education was formed for the first time.
òÀÜScientific Service & InternetòÀÝ conference has quite a long history. It is held annually in September in Novorossiysk (1 200+ km from Moscow), on the Black Sea coast. The conference is devoted to using supercomputer resources in science and education, discussing of new parallel programming technologies, developing of Internet projects on supercomputing activitiesThe main executives of the project are:
- Lomonosov Moscow State University,
- Lobachevsky Nizhny Novgorod State University,
- Tomsk State University,
- South Ural State University,
- St.Petersburg State University of IT, Mechanics
and Optics, - Southern Federal University,
- Far Eastern Federal University,
- Moscow Physical and Technical Institute,
- The members of the Supercomputing Consortium
of Russian Universities.
The nationwide system of Research and Education Centers for Supercomputing Technologies (REC SCT), incorporating all Russian Federal Districts, formed the basis for the successful implementation of the project. The main objective of the Russian REC SCT system is efficient organization of higher educational institutions activity for the SCT specialists training, retraining and skill development. As a result of the project completion, by the end of 2012 the REC SCT system incorporated 8 regional REC, founded in 7 Russian Federal Districts.
The most significant constituent that determines the project content is the development of the Composite Set (Body) of Knowledge and Skills (professional competencies) in Supercomputing Technologies. These are the competencies every student must have upon graduating from a corresponding faculty or a course, completing a retraining program or training in special groups. It is the Body of Knowledge that shows how an educational process must be organized and what particular subjects it must be based on. The main aspect of the Body of Knowledge is the description of the subject area òÀÜSupercomputers and Parallel ComputingòÀÝ to clearly define what to train and how to organize the process of training for each target-oriented group of trainees. The structure of the created Body of Knowledge is consistent with the recommendations of the international professional communities ACM and IEEE Computer Society.
Based on the developed Body of Knowledge in the field of supercomputing technologies proposals on expanding the third generation Federal State Educational Standards have been formed on the specialities for profound study of Supercomputing Technologies.
Proposals are made up on forming the curricula and skill development and advanced retraining programs and in the supercomputing technologies for enlarged groups of specialities and training directions.
A complex program on the development and expert examination of educational and methodological literature in supercomputing technologies for the BacheloròÀÙs and MasteròÀÙs Degrees Programs was successfully implemented. The series òÀÜSupercomputing EducationòÀÝ, created under the project, includes 26 monographs, textbooks and training manuals on the main sections of the Body of Knowledge in supercomputing technologies written by the leading Russian and foreign specialists.
A very intensive work was carried out on the development of the new courses and extension of the existing ones: the materials of 50 courses, covering all main parts of the Body of Knowledge and Skills in the supercomputing technologies, are presented in the open access on the Project site.
Under the project, a unique program of extensive entry-level SCT specialist training was implemented. This training program incorporated all Federal Districts of the SCT REC system and 60 Russian Schools of Higher Education òÀÓ a total of 3269 specialists. In the majority of these Schools, the program was aimed to strengthen the foundation of the technical background and to develop mandatory parallel programming skills for the successful mastery of the SCT area.
Under the project, higher educational institution facultiesòÀÙ skill development and advanced retraining programs (72 hours) were implemented in all Federal Districts involved in the SCT REC system. 453 teachers from over 50 Russian Schools of Higher Education successfully completed skill development and advanced retraining programs.
A highly complex component of the project òÀÓ a target intensive training of the special groups in supercomputing technologies òÀÓ was successfully implemented. 40 special groups were trained in 15 programs, each including not less than 72 academic hours. The training of the special groups was organized in all Federal Districts of SCT REC System. 790 trainees successfully graduated.
Distance learning technologies were widely used in the project. The entire 731 trainees from more than 100 cities of Russia and other countries got entry-level training in SCT using distance learning technologies via the Internet University of supercomputing technologies (http://hpcu.ru).
Over the past years a system of main national supercomputing conferences and the system of youth supercomputing schools have been formed.
Three almanacs òÀÜSupercomputing Technologies in Science, Education and IndustryòÀÝ containing more than 85 research and methodological materials were prepared in cooperation with the specialists from the RAS, as well as industry and business representatives.
Under the project the international collaboration intensively developed, which shows the urgent need for the integration of Russian organizations into the international scientific and educational space. Three joint educational programs were developed in cooperation with the leading foreign universities. Within the SCT REC 57 leading foreign scientists were involved in the research and teaching activities. 65 agreements on the establishments of partnerships in the sphere of SCT were signed with foreign organizations. Three issues of the almanac òÀÜSupercomputing Education in the WorldòÀÝ were prepared.
A system of activities to popularize the achievements and prospects of supercomputing technologies was developed and implemented with mass media being involved.
The activities under the project were highly appreciated both in Russia and the world. For example, in 2011, the joint team of Lomonosov Moscow State University and Lobachevsky Nizhny Novgorod State University won the international competition for the development of training materials on parallel programming òÀÜInformatics Europe Curriculum Best Practices AwardòÀÝ.
The major current results of the project are constantly displayed on the pages of the dedicated Internet-center (http://hpc-education.ru), which gradually becomes a national center for coordination of training and methodological activities in supercomputing technology in Russia.
It is essential that all formed and executed activities gradually form holistic infrastructure to create specifically the system of training and reproducing highly qualified personnel in supercomputing technology and dedicated software. During 2010-2012 75 Russian higher education institutions were involved in the execution of the project.
The implementation of the Russian Federation Presidential Commission Project on the modernization and technological development of Russian economy "Formation of Highly Qualified Supercomputing Technology and Dedicated Software specialist training system" resulted in forming the basis of supercomputer education system in Russia.
User login
