rek@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Ray Kujawski) (01/16/90)
SuperQuest: The High School Supercomputing Challenge SuperQuest, the only supercomputing competition in the nation intended explicitly for high school students, is sponsored by the Cornell Theory Center with anticipated funding in part by the National Science Foundation and IBM Corporation in the conviction that there may be nothing more important for America's scientific future than providing our next generation with the inspiration and skills to utilize one of the most important new tools for scientific inquiry, the supercomputer. The Cornell Theory Center is one of five national academic centers designated by the National Science Foundation to facilitate the use of supercomputing in scientific research. The goals of SuperQuest are central to this mission: the program utilizes the Center's primary computing resource, the Cornell National Supercomputer Facility, to introduce our nation's future researchers to the principles of computational science at the very outset of their academic careers. SuperQuest challenges students at every high school in the country to design an original science project for investigation on some of the fastest computers available. There is virtually no limit to the range these projects can take: from new techniques for corrective eye surgery, to the design of traffic light cycles, to the biomechanics of basketball shooting, to the clocking of a black hole in space, the projects have been a testament to the versatility of the supercomputer and to the creativity of our best young scientists. SuperQuest finalists receive hands-on training on Cornell's IBM 3090-600E supercomputers, but the development of technical skills is only one benefit of participation in the contest. SuperQuest was initiated to inspire the creative minds of our future leaders, and in meeting the challenge of designing an advanced science project, all entering participants are winners. As one teacher-coach from last year's competition observed, "The main contribution of SuperQuest is that it provided a strong reason for students to look for more challenging problems than they ordinarily would." The SuperQuest screening process reflects the research environment of the working scientist: entries are evaluated individually but judged ultimately as part of a team, encouraging both competition and collegiality. Winners receive not only supercomputer training but exposure to some of the greatest scientific minds in the country. These experts introduce students to the discipline-specific applications of computational science, and discuss ethical issues as well. The three-week experience at Cornell culminates in each student's formal presentation of his or her research work in progress. Additionally, winners receive consulting support to continue their investigations throughout the following academic year, and winning schools receive workstations and a network connection to the Cornell supercomputers. The benefits of SuperQuest extend beyond the winning schools. Following intensive training on the Cornell campus, winners return to their schools to form a nucleus of supercomputing expertise for their district. Teacher-coaches are a key component of the SuperQuest concept: their participation in training along with the students is essential not only for the immediate benefit to the winning teams, but for the educational system in the long-term. The teachers' enhanced professional skills become a permanent resource at their schools, to inspire and guide peers and future classes of students. Supercomputing is infused into science courses as a permanent part of the high school's curriculum. Winners of SuperQuest 1989 came from varied backgrounds and geographic regions, representing high schools ranging from a state-funded residential magnet school for the gifted and talented, to a mainstream public high school whose teachers, students, and parents had held a giant garage sale to raise funds for personal computers. To ensure that the competition remains open to as broad a base as possible, SuperQuest winners are limited to no more than one "repeat" school each year. In this way, SuperQuest will continue to be true to its mission as America's high school supercomputing challenge. For an application booklet and more information on SuperQuest, call 1-607-255-4859. Ray Kujawski Technical Consultant Cornell National Supercomputer Facility rek@cornellf.tn.cornell.edu (607) 255-3985