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UFS students to compete in the International Super Computing (ISC) Student Cluster Competition

15 January 2024 | Story André Damons | Photo Supplied

CHPC students read more — The top finishing UFS team, Team 5, consisting of Nhlonipho Shezi, Kgoboketso Mphahlele, Albert van Eck (mentor), Itumeleng Khaka, and Bophelo Pharasi came third during the national round of the National Integrated Cyber Infrastructure Systems (NICIS) CHPC’s Student Cluster Competition.

Two students from the University of the Free State (UFS) who took part in the National Integrated Cyber Infrastructure Systems (NICIS) CHPC Student Cluster Competition were selected as part of the National Team to compete at the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC) Student Cluster Competition next year.

Itumeleng Khaka and Nhlonipho Shezi, both currently studying towards a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology majoring in Computer Science and Business Management, were part of one of the university’s teams (Team 5) that took third place during the national round of the competition.

Bophelo Pharasi (Bachelor of Science in Information Technology majoring in Computer Science and Business Management) and Kgoboketso Mphahlele (Bachelor of Computer Information Systems) were the other team members, and Albert van Eck, Head of the eResearch and High-Performance Computing Unit, was their mentor. The UFS entered three teams for the competition.

Another student, Limpho Senatla (Bachelor of Science in Information Technology), was awarded the prize for the female student with the most potential during this competition. Some of the prizes awarded to her include an opportunity to work under the mentorship of sponsors such as Tsolo.io, Diplomics, Intel, and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO).

The other two teams that also participated were Team OptiCompute (mentor: Hendrik van Heerden), consisting of Senatla, Siphesihle Mvelase (Bachelor of Science in Information Technology majoring in Computer Science and Business Management), Ziphezinhle Malinga (Bachelor of Science in Information Technology majoring in Computer Science and Business Management), Ennosse Mkhutyukelwa (Bachelor of Science in Information Technology majoring in Computer Science and Chemistry); and Team KKRT (mentor: Zirke le Roux), consisting of Kananelo Nyakallo Mofokeng (Bachelor of Science in Information Technology majoring in Computer Science and Physics), Boitumelo Ramasike (Bachelor of Science in Information Technology majoring in Computer Science and Business Management), Kamohelo Kolanchu (Bachelor of Science in Information Technology majoring in Computer Science and Mathematics), and Thabang Maokeng (Bachelor of Computer Information Systems).

Highly stressful and demanding

“Since 2017, the UFS has competed in the CHPC Student Cluster Competition, with various successful outcomes. This year was no exception, with Team 5 winning third place at the national round. All teams endured a highly stressful and demanding round where external factors such as load shedding, late and incomplete hardware deliveries, extreme heat, and sleep deprivation played a role,” says Van Eck.

According to its website, the Centre for High-Performance Computing (CHPC), a division of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), annually hosts a Human Capital Development (HCD) programme for undergraduate students currently enrolled in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields at South African universities. They undergo training that will take them from zero knowledge of HPC to being able to build mini clusters through various rounds.

The competition is held annually and consists of three rounds: a selection, national, and international round. A team composed of four undergraduate (second-year) students can enter the competition.

This year, twenty teams from eight universities participated in the selection round. Each year, this round is hosted at a different university in the country, with the UFS Bloemfontein Campus playing host this year from 10 to 15 July. During the first round, students were exposed to various technologies and concepts used in HPC and scientific computing. Students were then evaluated according to their technical skills acquired during the selection round, and had to design, present, and defend a cluster design with its network topology.

The national round, for which all three UFS teams qualified, was held at the Kruger National Park from 3 to 8 December.

Travel internationally

According to Van Eck, the students were given a limited budget to procure a small cluster for this round. Students then had to assemble the cluster and start configuring it during this round. After installing and configuring their clusters, students had to install and optimise scientific software. Installing and optimising scientific software is quite challenging. One must consider various technologies such as hardware components, networking, operating systems, compilers, intercommunication between processes, and the functionality of the software.

The winning team in the national round is combined with two members of either the second or third-place winners and two reserves selected from those teams. This team will travel to Austin, Texas, early next year to visit the Texas Advanced Computing Centre (TACC). Students will also undergo more training at Dell Labs in the USA.

The team will compete at the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC) Student Cluster Competition (SCC) against teams from across America, Europe, and Asia. This competition is held in Germany and sees the best international students competing in the final round. The South African teams have won this round on several occasions.

“The competition takes all students out of their comfort zones. The technologies and methodologies they are exposed to are state-of-the-art in theoretical and computational sciences. In the first round, students are trained by industry professionals on concepts they would otherwise never be exposed to. They come into contact with multiple disciplines within IT, engineering, and some scientific fields. The learning curve during this competition is immense, but students who rise to the challenge reap the benefits in the long run. With prizes such as laptops, prize money, and mentorship from the industry, multiple opportunities can be utilised,” says Van Eck.

Exposure to various technologies

Van Eck says even members from teams that do not make it into the top positions can benefit from exposure to various technologies and networking with other delegates. Leveraging knowledge attained during the competition also enhances one's ability to apply knowledge to other parts of one's career.

“To become an HPC specialist, one must master various field-specific domains, and each of these domains can become a career in itself should a student identify a specific field of more interest to them. This type of exposure is usually only experienced once one enters the workforce. It may be difficult and costly to enter a specific domain by that time. Earlier exposure during a competition like this can assist a student in identifying which fields of science, engineering, or IT they would like to focus on and perhaps later specialise in.”

News Archive

Moshoeshoe film screened at UFS as part of transformation programme

2004-10-14

A ground-breaking documentary film on the life and legacy of King Moshoeshoe I, the founder of the Basotho nation, will be screened at the University of the Free State (UFS) tonight (Wednesday 13 October 2004) at 19:00.

Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, prof. Frederick Fourie, said the UFS commissioned the documentary as a practical demonstration of the university’s commitment to the continued transformation of the campus and the creation of a new inclusive institutional culture for all staff and students.

It is part of a larger UFS project to honour the Moshoeshoe legacy of nation-building and reconciliation and to explore his role as a model of African leadership.

The documentary tells the life story of the legendary king, with emphasis on his remarkable leadership skills, his extraordinary talent for diplomacy and conflict resolution and his visionary commitment to creating a new nation from a fragmented society.

Almost all the filming was done on or around Moshoeshoe’s mountain stronghold, Thaba Bosiu.

The last part of the documentary explores the lessons for African leadership to be learnt from Moshoeshoe. The hour-long documentary film was produced by the well-known journalist Mr Max du Preez and was commissioned by the UFS as part of its centenary celebrations.

“Through this documentary film about King Moshoeshoe, the UFS commits itself to developing a shared appreciation of the history of this country,” said prof. Fourie.

“King Moshoeshoe was a great African statesman and leader. He was born in this region of the country, but his influence and legacy extends way beyond the borders of the Free State, Lesotho and even way beyond the borders of South Africa,” said prof. Fourie.

As part of the larger project, the UFS is investigating a possible annual Moshoeshoe memorial lecture that will focus on African leadership, nation-building and reconciliation, possible PhD-level research into the life and legacy of King Moshoeshoe and a literary anthology including prose and poetry.

“We must gain a deeper understanding of what really happened during his reign as king. Therefore the University of the Free State will encourage and support further research into the history, politics and sociology of the Moshoeshoe period, including his leadership style,” said prof. Fourie.

According to prof. Fourie the Moshoeshoe project will enable the UFS to give real meaning to respect for the diversity of our languages and cultures, and the unity South Africans seek to build as a democratic nation through such diversity.

According to the producer of the documentary, journalist Mr Max du Preez, the UFS deserves credit for recognising this extraordinary man and for financing this important documentary.

Du Preez said: “It was about time that South Africa rediscovered Moshoeshoe. Colonialist and Afrikaner Nationalist historians have painted him as a sly, untrustworthy and weak leader. Most historians have preferred to glorify leaders in South Africa’s past who were aggressors and conquerors. In the process most present-day South Africans came to regard Moshoeshoe as a minor tribal figure.”

“Yet this was the man who broke the cycle of violence, famine and suffering during the traumatic time in central South Africa in the early 1800s. During the entire 19th century, Moshoeshoe was virtually the only leader in South Africa who did not answer violence with violence, who did not set forth to conquer other groups and expand his land,” said Mr du Preez.

“I have no doubt that the stability that the Free State region has enjoyed over more than a century was largely due to Moshoeshoe’s leadership and vision. He can quite rightly be called “The Nelson Mandela of the 19th Century,” Mr du Preez added.

Explaining the title of the documentary film, Mr du Preez said: “We decided to call the documentary “The Reniassance King” because whichever way one looks at it, Moshoeshoe symbolised everything behind the concept of an African Renaissance.”

“He was progressive, just and fair; he deeply respected human life and dignity (we would nowadays call it human rights); he embraced modernity and technology without ever undermining his own people’s culture or natural wisdom; he never allowed European or Western influence to overwhelm him, make him insecure or take away his pride as an African,” said Mr du Preez.

“Moshoeshoe was the best of Africa. If only contemporary African leaders would follow his example of what African leadership should be,” Mr du Preez said.

Among the interviewees in the film were Lesotho’s most prominent historian, Dr LBBJ Machobane, the head of the UFS’s Department of History, prof. Leo Barnard, Moshoeshoe expert and Gauteng educationist Dr Peter Seboni, Lesotho author and historian Martin Lelimo and Chief Seeiso Bereng Seeiso, Principal Chief of Matsieng and direct descendant of the first King of the Basotho.

The documentary film on King Moshoeshoe will be screened on SABC 2 on Thursday 4 November 2004.

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