JuWinHPC - First German Chapter of Women in HPC Founded

The global organization “Women in High Performance Computing” (WHPC) was founded with the mission to create more equality, diversity, and integration in the male-dominated HPC community. The initiative is active at conferences such as SC and ISC, and offers workshops and mentoring programmes. Anyone who is interested can easily become a WHPC member and benefit from their offerings by registering free of charge on their website. WHPC works with several “chapters” – the official name for WHPC’s local networks – on five continents. To become a WHPC chapter, an institution or organization has to prove that they are suitably qualified in an application process.

A team of local WHPC members has now established a local WHPC network on behalf of Forschungszentrum Jülich, called “Jülich Women in HPC” (JuWinHPC). This local network is not only supported by Jülich’s Board of Directors in its efforts, but has also already been approved by the global organization as the first German WHPC chapter. JuWinHPC’s main goal is to strengthen the local community. For this purpose, the network organizes monthly informational meetings or gatherings. While the chapter members can use the network to meet new colleagues or to strengthen existing contacts, the founders are already working on further tasks in the background: they aim to gain a better understanding of the gender imbalance and make women in the field more visible. Therefore, JuWinHPC will work closely with other chapters on an international level and support the foundation of further chapters on a national level.

JuWinHPC encourages and welcomes anyone interested in the topic of equal opportunities, no matter their gender, to join the initiative.

Contact: Dr. Ruth Schöbel

from JSC News No. 293, 6 December 2022