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2019 Summer REU in Distributed Computing Systems

at the University of Notre Dame

Join the Cooperative Computing Lab at the University of Notre Dame for a summer research experience in distributed computing systems!

Our research group computer systems that allow many people to cooperate in the solution of problems that are too large for any single machine or person to attack. Students in this REU program will develop software and new techniques for managing computations that harness thousands of machines at once, such as the 20K-core cluster provided by the Center for Research Computing. These tools are used to attack problems in disciplines such as high energy physics, organic chemistry, biometrics, and bioinformatics.

We strongly encourage applications from women and minorities that are not well represented in computer science. We also encourage applications from students at regional colleges and universities. A summer research position is a great way to develop your skills and prepare for graduate school. This program will accept two applicants that will work alongside the staff and graduate students in the CCL.

Applicants must be enrolled in a computer science degree program or a closely related field. Some skill in one of the existing areas below is helpful, but not required.

Summer 2019 Focus Areas

Distributed Filesystems. Build and evaluate a scalable filesystem designed to distribute large software stacks and datasets to applications running on thousands of nodes. The filesystem will achieve stricy consistency via Merkle trees (like git) but also be effective at dealing with very large files. Relevant Skills: C, Python, Unix

Scalable Workflow Languages. Advance the development of Makeflow a language and a system for expressing large graphs of applications and scheduling them on to clusters, clouds, and grids. Relevant Skills: C, Python, Unix, cloud computing

Summer at Notre Dame

Summer research students will be paid a stipend of $800/week for nine weeks during the summer term, 27 May 2019 - 26 July 2019. Students must register for a zero-credit (no fee) course, which gives access to campus resources such as housing, computing, libraries, and athletic facilites. The stipend should be used to pay for housing, meals, and other living costs. Students may choose any housing on or off campus, but are invited to take advantage of on campus housing in order to meet other students involved in REU programs.

How to Apply

Send an email with the title "REU Application" to dthain at nd dot edu with the following information:

  • Current resume listing education, experience, and skills.
  • Name and contact information for a letter of recommendation, such as a previous employer or a professor who knows your work well.
  • For More Information

  • Prof. Douglas Thain
  • Cooperative Computing Lab
  • University of Notre Dame