A student’s view on the summer school

by Kristen Hardwick, MS student, Clemson University, USA.

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Every summer for the past few years, the International Summer School for Grid Computing (ISSGC) has taken place. This program provides a fast-paced introduction to grid computing and different middleware projects. I was one of about 30 students selected to participate in this year’s school, held in Sophia Antipolis, France. The classes were taught in English, but the students and tutors that attended were from a variety of different countries: Hungary, Latvia, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic, and more.

Since the school’s main objective is to provide each student with practical knowledge of grid computing, each day of the school focused on a particular middleware. Each morning, we listened to lectures and had class discussions about the material. After eating lunch in the school’s dining hall, we returned for the hands-on portion of the day where we were able to practice the techniques that we learned in the morning. This included learning how to create certificates, submit jobs, monitor jobs, and create complex job descriptions with each middleware. On the last day, we were given an integrated practical that allowed us to apply the knowledge that we gained to solve a complex problem.

The experience also included some organised activities in nearby cities. On Bastille Day, we watched an amazing fireworks show from a boat in Cannes. We also took a group trip to Nice to visit the old city and beach, traveled to Gourdon for a hike and tour of the village, and visited the Maeght Foundation in Saint Paul. Each of these trips included an opportunity to try delicious French dishes and to explore the cities at our own pace. The days required a lot of concentration, but in the evenings the students and tutors were able to relax and get to know each other. Living, and attending classes, with people from so many different backgrounds gave us a great opportunity to get a brief glimpse into different cultures. Many of us stayed up until the early hours of the morning talking about the material that we were learning, differences in our native languages, politics - anything and everything as the days passed. Everyone became fast friends, and we were able to build a sense of community as we helped each other navigate the campus and understand the French language. ISSGC’09 was a great success, and I would be very happy to participate again.

www.iceage-eu.org/issgc09