Women in IT Networking at SC
The Women in IT Networking at SC (WINS) program is seeking qualified female U.S. candidates in their early to mid-career to join the SCinet volunteer workforce for the SC Conference. Selected candidates will receive full travel support and mentoring by well-known engineering experts in the research and education community.
Applications for SC19 WINS are now closed. Applications for SC20 WINS will open in May of 2020.
Created each year for the SC Conference, SCinet brings to life a very high-capacity network that supports the revolutionary applications and experiments that are a hallmark of the SC conference. SCinet will link the convention center to research and commercial networks around the world.
The SC Conference Series is dedicated to supporting an inclusive environment. In 2015, SCinet partnered with a team of collaborators to create the SCinet Diversity Program¹, developed as a means of addressing the prevalent gender gap that exists in information technology (IT), particularly in the fields of network engineering and high performance computing. The success of that program led to a three-year award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and DOE-ESnet, titled Women in IT Networking at SC (WINS)². WINS is a joint effort between the Energy Sciences Network (ESnet), the Keystone Initiative for Network Based Education and Research (KINBER), the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), and SCinet.
Opportunities
SCinet provides an ideal “apprenticeship” opportunity for engineers and technologists looking for direct access to the most cutting-edge network hardware and software, while working side-by-side with the world’s leading network and software engineers and top network technology vendors.
More than 15 teams comprise SCinet, all focused on specific areas of expertise involved in setting up and operating a research network. Selected candidates will be matched with a mentor in one of these areas based on interest and background. Learning and training opportunities include (but are not limited to):
- Operating and maintaining traditional IT services for SCinet
- Installing fiber optic network connections
- Installing and configuring wireless access points
- Installing and configuring wired network devices for conference meeting rooms
- Managing internet routing protocols
- Configuring wide-area network connections to national telecom providers
- Supporting conference attendees, high performance computing, and high-performing network demonstrations
- Participating in cybersecurity activities focused on prevention, detection, and countermeasures to protect the resources of the conference
Travel for Professional Development
This grant funds selected participants to travel for the staging, setup, and attendance of the SC conference as a SCinet volunteer. Travel includes up to three weeks (or some portion of these three weeks) depending on the SCinet team needs.
Participation in the program requires travel to Denver for the following dates (not including travel days):
October 28–November 1, 2019 – SCinet Staging
November 11–16, 2019 – SCinet Setup
November 17–22, 2019 – SCinet Live Operations, SC19 Conference, and SCinet Teardown
Project Measurement
After completion of the conference, participants will be asked to report on their experience including: which parts of the training were new or useful, which learning experiences were effective or valuable, and other targeted questions that will help drive the future of gender diversity outreach efforts. This reflection will be shared with their home institution, SCinet leadership, project PIs, the Department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation.
Selection Criteria
Candidates will be reviewed by a panel of experts from the research and education community for current job relevance, stated support from applicant’s employer, ability to attend the conference (WINS will take care of the travel costs but the participant must be able to set aside time to travel and participate), areas of interest (see application form), and desire to participate in SCinet.
For additional guidance with the application and required supplementary materials, please visit the WINS website.
Questions
If you have questions regarding WINS or the application process, please contact the WINS management team.
¹ = NSF 2015 grant #ACI-1440642
² = NSF 2016 grant #ACI-1640987