Graduate student sponsored by Purdue Women in HPC honored with best poster award at canine genetics conference
Purdue’s Women in High-Performance Computing (WHPC) group recently sponsored Jeanna Blake, a doctoral student in the College of Veterinary Medicine, so she could attend the 12th International Conference on Canine and Feline Genetics and Genomics (ICCFGG), which was held in Helsinki, Finland, earlier this month.
Blake, a fourth year doctoral student whose research focuses on canine genetics, was honored as having one of the three best posters at the conference by the Scientific Organizing Committee, and was one of just fifteen poster authors invited to give a lightning talk about her poster.
“Being recognized for the work I’m doing really made me feel like I’m on the right path for my career,” says Blake, who appreciated having the chance to connect with professionals in her field from all over the world.
“By attending the conference I was able to gain valuable insights not only in my own research, but also potential career opportunities in the future, benefiting my personal and professional growth.”
Blake, who says she might not have been able to attend ICCFGG without the aid of Purdue WHPC because international conferences can be cost-prohibitive, says that she’s extremely appreciative that Purdue WHPC invested in her career as a female geneticist and gave her the chance to learn and succeed in the field.
“I would wholeheartedly recommend the WHPC scholarship program to other Purdue students,” says Blake.
“The WHPC scholarship is empowering and investing in the next generation of female scientists, like me, by allowing women to attend key conferences in their field that they might not be able to go to in order to advance their career opportunities.”
Purdue WHPC is part of a broader engagement initiative by the Rosen Center for Advanced Computing (RCAC), and is led by women staffers affiliated with RCAC. WHPC is a diverse community encompassing undergraduate, graduate, staff and faculty men and women who are interested in exposing women to high-performance computing and encouraging their pursuit of research and careers in HPC and other technology fields.
Within the WHPC initiative, RCAC extends partial travel assistance to undergraduate and graduate students, empowering their participation in various national conferences aligning with WHPC’s objectives. The WHPC travel scholarship has sent students to conferences including the Grace Hopper Celebration, Society of Women Engineers and Supercomputing within the past year.
Applicants are assessed on their demonstrated experience with advanced computation and must explain what they hope to gain from participating in the conference. To be eligible, an applicant must identify as a woman and be an undergrad or grad student maintaining good academic standing.
For full eligibility requirements, and to apply for this scholarship, please visit the WHPC Scholarship page.
In addition to the scholarship program, Purdue WHPC organizes a range of activities including regular meetings to discuss technical HPC-related issues of interest, opportunities to network with the WHPC community, a mentorship program, workshops, and exposure to external resources and opportunities.
To learn more about Purdue Women in HPC or be added to the mailing list, contact whpcinfo@lists.purdue.edu.