May 2020

A Note from Jack

I assume you are feeling as I am, we are ready for this to be over and get back to some kind of normal. I suspect the new “normal” will be different from what we had before, but I’m sure we can work with it and figure it out.

Looking over the past 6 weeks, we are still here, our research is still progressing, we all have jobs, and we are working for the future with new proposals being funded and new ones in the planning stages. Remember: it is normal to be anxious and stressed in these times, and we will make it out the other end.

Stay safe, be smart, and wash your hands. We will be back in the office soon.

–Jack

Employment Opportunities at ICL

ICL is seeking full-time Research Scientists (MS or PhD) to participate in the design, development, and maintenance of numerical software libraries for solving linear algebra problems on large, distributed-memory machines with multi-core processors, hardware accelerators, and performance monitoring capabilities for new and advanced hardware and software technologies.

The prospective researcher will coauthor papers to document research findings, present the team’s work at conferences and workshops, and help lead students and other team members in their research endeavors in ongoing and future projects. Given the nature of the work, there will be opportunities for publication, travel, and high-profile professional networking and collaboration across academia, labs, and industry.

An MS or PhD in computer science, computational sciences, or math is preferred. Background in at least one of the following areas is also preferred: numerical linear algebra, HPC, performance monitoring, machine learning, or data analytics.

For more information check out ICL’s jobs page: http://www.icl.utk.edu/jobs.

Gonzalez Family Award for Excellence in Research

The Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science just announced Jack Dongarra as the winner of the 2020 Gonzalez Family Award for Excellence in Research! Congratulations, Jack!

Staying “in touch” during a Pandemic: a Primer

Well, we are in it now. I don’t know about you guys, but this is my first global pandemic. Despite the many challenges this situation has presented before us, ICL is very fortunate to have the infrastructure and support of the University of Tennessee, which is encouraging students, faculty, and staff to learn, teach, and work remotely.

Working from home, or “telecommuting” as the old fogies managers call it, certainly isn’t a new thing, but this kind of en masse offsite productivity is unprecedented. To help with what is hopefully a temporary situation, we have a few pointers listed below.

Stay Connected

Meetings that used to be 5-minute “door knocks” now require an app, emails/scheduling, and your calendar. Rather than be discouraged, take another tack. Many groups within ICL are now holding more regular—but less formal—staff meetings in addition to the regular weekly or monthly discussions. These regularly scheduled “chats” can help bolster some of the communication channels that are otherwise suffering or altogether absent. Alternatively, you can schedule regular one-on-one chats with your teammates if your staff meetings are somewhat infrequent.

Be Available

Scheduled meetings can’t cover all the bases, so it is also important to be available and engaged. ICL doesn’t have an official chat or collaboration app, but many of us are using Zoom for video conferencing and Slack for chatting. It’s a good idea to keep these apps open and running during your designated business hours. Keep the app open, be signed in, and work as you usually would. Click here to sign into Zoom using your NetID. Send a request to icl-help@icl.utk.edu to be added to the ICL Slack channel.

Make a Space

It is easier said than done in many households, but if you can carve out a corner of your place for a workstation, you will be much happier. Many of you are sharing workspaces with spouses and kids—all of whom have their own work to do—so this is a difficult task. To make it easier, you can request equipment (e.g., peripherals, monitor stands, standing desks) through your Director. Some of it can be acquired from ICL’s offices, and some of it can be ordered and shipped to your home. In any case, having a space to work and avoid distractions is vital.

Designate Time

Transitioning from home to work and back again is made more difficult when it all happens in the same place. Having a dedicated workstation that you can walk away from certainly helps, but it is also critical that we have and adhere to some kind of regular schedule. Normal business hours can remain normal business hours. Though easier said than done, try to maintain a normal morning schedule, take a break for lunch and coffee, and then finish up for the day before dinner. It seems so simple, but the delineation between work time and home time is essential if the space has to remain the same.

Go, get out!

Go outside and get some Vitamin D. Do the social distancing, wear the mask—whatever—but go outside. A walk will do. Take the dog if you have one. Ride your bike. Go for a drive. There are still a lot of things to see out there, and you can avoid people if you think about it creatively (e.g., business parks, subdivisions, and wide-open parks instead of crowded greenways).

Just Ask

If you need help—whether it’s with your equipment, your work arrangement, or you simply want to talk to another human being—just ask. Ask your Director, ask your colleague, or ask The Editor. We’re all here for the duration.