USRC Provides Opportunities to Coastal Carolina University Students

Coastal Carolina University (CCU) and the Ultrascale Systems Research Center (USRC), a joint program between Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and the New Mexico Consortium (NMC), in Los Alamos, New Mexico, have a strong relationship that has involved many CCU students over the past several years. This collaboration has resulted in multiple year-long research assistantships at CCU, summer internships and permanent job placements at the NMC and LANL.

USRC researchers provide CCU students with computer science research experience, mentorship, as well as work experience. CCU students are hired through the New Mexico Consortium which provides comprehensive support, guidance and resources to help the researchers and students advance their work including connections to top scientists and facilities at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

LANL and NMC senior scientist, Nathan DeBardeleben, sponsors ongoing research at CCU with long-standing collaborator Dr. William Jones, CCU professor and LANL-NSEC Joint Faculty Researcher. Through this collaboration, DeBardeleben brings students to work at the USRC each year, including undergraduate summer interns as well as full-time post baccalaureates.

Current and former students coming from CCU to work at the USRC include Dylan Wallace, Terry Grove, Brian Atkinson, Dakota Fulp, Megan Hickman Fulp, Alex Poulos,  Stephen Penton and Braeden Slade. These students all received a BS in computer science from CCU and some have earned additional bachelor degrees in applied mathematics and physics while at CCU.  Rusty Davis, a former temporary staff member at CCU, also found at home here at the USRC, which was facilitated by the initial collaboration between the two organizations. Students usually have spent multiple years interning at the USRC in Los Alamos, and many move up into a position as a LANL scientist, LANL staff, LANL graduate student or LANL-NSEC Joint Research Faculty Researcher.

The result of this long-standing collaboration between CCU and the USRC/NMC has turned into a pipeline of qualified students being hired permanently at Los Alamos National Laboratory bringing talented people with computer science expertise to Los Alamos.

To learn more about the Ultrascale Systems Research Center see: https://usrc.lanl.gov/

To learn more about the Department of Computing Sciences at CCU see: https://www.coastal.edu/computing/

Featured image shows Megan Hickman Fulp and Dakota Fulp presenting their NMC/LANL research from summer 2019 at the 2019 Supercomputing Conference.