WHPC AusNZ: A regional, inclusive chapter for D&I awareness and opportunities
Ms Aditi Subramanya1
1Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre, Perth, Australia
Background
An Australasian Chapter of the global organisation Women in High Performance Computing (WHPC) is aiming to better support diversity and inclusion (D&I) within and across the Australian and New Zealand HPC and eResearch sectors.
The chapter launched in 2020 on the anniversary of the 2019 eResAU conference, sparked by the theme of diversity in eResearch.
Method
The chapter based its goals on priorities determined by its community. As such, when the chapter was established in 2020, a survey was distributed amongst those who expressed their interest in the 2019 eResearch BoF, with 17 completions driving the chapter goals for the following year.
Initial goals:
identifying opportunities and future activities to improve D&I in HPC and eResearch
increasing women in HPC
fostering collaboration and connections amongst existing initiatives
Results
From an initial interest of 17, the chapter’s membership has grown to 49, with an active Slack group where opportunities, thoughts and ideas are shared.
Based on discussions within this group, events and documentation are being organised to support networking and knowledge sharing within the chapter, as well as help senior level decision-makers adopt D&I practices within their organisations. In July 2021, the Chapter ran a BoF outlining steps for supporting a diverse HPC & eResearch workforce.
Conclusions
The WHPC chapter is growing with a strong call to be an advocate for D&I amongst our vast organisations.
The chapter is here to support women+ with tools and information to ensure a diverse and inclusive culture is further established in our region.
Biography:
Based at the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre, Aditi is a communicator in the digital world. Aditi loves tech and is passionate about creating diverse, inclusive mindsets and cultures.
Aditi’s goal is to break global barriers to create fair opportunities for all.