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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

Making a difference is the most important thing for Gary Kirsten
2012-05-16

 

Gary Kirsten
16 May 2012

“Can I make a difference in someone’s life?” This was the central driving force for Gary Kirsten, head coach of the 2011 World Cup winning Indian cricket team. He currently coaches the Proteas.

Gary was the first guest speaker at a new series of lectures at our Business School. Challenges and solutions in management will be highlighted in the series. In his lecture, Gary was interviewed by Prof. Johann Coetzee, Extraordinary Professor at the Business School. The audience got a glimpse of the person often seen on television screens and they travelled with him from his childhood days at the Newlands Cricket Ground to his days in New Delhi as head coach of the Indian team.

His challenge in India was to develop a new culture in a team with very valuable and expensive brands. His light-bulb moment occurred on a team-building visit to Australia. His question to the team was what he could do for them and what they would expect from him. The turning point was Sachin Tendulkar’s answer: I would like you to be my friend. Tendulkar’s wife’s comment on the winning night was the proof of his success. She said: “The last three years were the happiest in my husband’s life.”

Gary said it was an incredible privilege to make a difference in people’s lives. “I wake up asking myself where I can make a difference in someone’s life. You must create an environment for people to enjoy the game, challenge one another and thrive.”

He is confident that the Protea team has the potential to be a great cricket team. He said the upcoming England tour is a test. “This tour will test us to be the top team in the following years. I would like to set them up for the best chance to win.”

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