SC14 to Deliver a Diverse Lineup of Invited Talks

Researchers and managers alike know that conferences and workshops like SC are critical to an innovation culture such as that reflected in the international supercomputing community. Through sessions, workshops, tutorials, and informal interactions, HPC practitioners get feedback on ideas that shape their future work, and the collective result is that the community as a whole continues to thrive and innovate while preserving vital coherence in its overall technology and research agenda.

The Invited Talks program at SC is an important catalyst in this collective wayfinding. The Invited Talks feature leaders from all areas of HPC, and summarize important contributions within a broader context and from a longer-term perspective. 

You can find a description of all of the Invited Talks here, but here are just a few of the talks that we think you’ll want to know about:

• Larry Smarr, HPC veteran and current leader in the quantified self movement, will share his perspectives on the intersection of big data, biological measurement, and the role of supercomputing in his talk, “Using Supercomputers to Discover the 100 Trillion Bacteria Living within Each of Us.” Those especially interested in big data and health science will also be interested in hearing Philip Bourne, the first Associate Director for Data Science at NIH, during his talk, “Meeting the Computational Challenges Associated with Human Health.”
• Masoud Mohseni will provide an overview of quantum computing today and discuss progress at the Google Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab towards developing the general theory and overcoming the practical limitations of quantum computing for information processing in his talk, “Quantum Computing Paradigms for Probabilistic Inference and Optimization.”
• Lincoln Wallen, CTO at DreamWorks Animation, will review the state of the art in computer animation and how, through extensive use of parallel computing, the studio has solved the fundamental need to maximize artist productivity and work at the speed of creativity in his talk, “The Transformative Impact of Parallel Computing for Real-Time Animation.”

Make plans now to attend the Invited Talks program at SC14 in November!