Women in IT Networking at SC

What is SCINET?

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.

What is wins?

The Women in IT Networking at SC (WINS) program was developed in 2015 as a means for addressing the prevalent gender gap that exists in Information Technology particularly in the fields of network engineering and high performance computing. 

WINS is a joint effort between the Department of Energy’s, Energy Sciences Network (ESnet), Indiana University, the Keystone Initiative for Network Based Education and Research (KINBER), Santa Fe Indian School, and University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR).

Funding is provided through direct funding from ESnet and support from other project contributors. Past funding was provided by the National Science Foundation grants (ACI-164098, ACI-144064).

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
• Marketing communications in support of SCinet activities.
• Project management including liaising with multiple SCinet teams.

The primary objective of the program is to provide the opportunity for early to mid-career women to participate in SCinet. In addition to matching the selected participants with the appropriate SCinet team, the program provides travel funds for attending staging, setup, and live support of the SC conference as a SCinet volunteer. Travel could include up to three weeks (or some portion of these three weeks) depending on the SCinet team needs. SC23 will take place in Denver, CO. Participation in the program requires travel to Denver for the following dates (not including travel days):

After completion of the conference, participants are asked to report on their experiences, 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, the SC conference leadership, the WINS Management Team, and program contributors.

Candidates will be reviewed by a panel of experts from the research and education community for current job relevance, stated support from the applicant’s employer, ability to attend the conference (WINS will provide the travel funding but the participant must be able to set aside time to travel and participate), areas of interest (see application form), desire to participate in SCinet.  In order to further broaden the  diversity within the WINS program itself, preference this year will be given to applicants who are historically underrepresented in the Information Technology field, including Black or African-American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic or Latinx.