Rosen Center for Advanced Computing

Matthew Scarpino

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Meet Your Mentor!

We sat down with our 2024 Anvil REU Mentors to discuss their role at RCAC, what their REU students will be working on, and much, much more. Keep reading below to learn more about your mentor.

 

Matthew Scarpino

Matt Scarpino

Please introduce yourself:

My name is Matthew Scarpino, and I am a Lead Research Software Engineer for the Rosen Center for Advanced Computing.

 

Why would I come to you for help?

I’ve been a software developer with over twenty years of experience. I’ve also written several books on software development and engineering.

 

What’s one thing you wish you’d known when you started working in HPC?

I wish I’d better understood Linux drivers and the fundamentals of networking.

 

What’s one professional skill you’re currently working on?

Performing high-performance computing in browser applications using the new WebGPU API.

 

What’s your go-to productivity trick?

Keep a regular work routine.

 

What behavior or personality trait do you most attribute your success to, and why?

I genuinely enjoy programming and engineering because I still think they’re like magic.

 

What was your first job?

Air Force officer at Wright-Patterson AFB

 

What’s the worst job you’ve ever had, and what did you learn from it?

Developing medical software. I learned that medical companies deal with ridiculous amounts of paperwork and red tape.

 

What was your favorite job you’ve ever had and why?

Accelerating radar processing – I enjoy mathematical programming.

 

What’s a mistake you made early on in your career, and what did you learn from it?

I spent two years learning how to program the Cell Processor, which became obsolete. I learned that “cool technologies” aren’t necessarily “popular technologies.”

 

What led you to this career?

I’ve always loved programming.

 

What are you currently excited about in your job?

I’m coding an application that performs computational chemistry, which is absolutely fascinating.

 

What’s a work-related accomplishment that you’re really proud of?

My radar acceleration application turned out to be faster than any of the competitors’ offerings.

 

How long have you been on the Anvil team/at RCAC?

About 6 months.

 

Why HPC?

   1). As a field to work in?

    There are plenty of jobs available and HPC is becoming more and more important. 

    2). As a use for research?

    As computers become more powerful, HPC makes it possible to simulate more complex systems. 

    3). As an experience for an undergrad student?

       In every field of study, programming is becoming more and more important.

 

Why RCAC/Purdue?

You get to work with excellent technology and excellent people, and for students, the professors are top-notch and provide plenty of research opportunities.

 

Where do you see HPC/Supercomputing/Research Computing going in the next 10 years?

I expect more focus on cloud computing and GPU computing. In addition, I suspect that web applications will provide performance comparable to regular applications.