New beginnings

An update on our MSc programmes in High Performance Computing (HPC) and HPC with Data Science.

Every new academic year is filled with new beginnings, and 2018/19 is certainly not short of them with:

• 36 students commencing their studies on the MSc programmes

• EPCC’s first year in its new home in the Bayes Centre in the University’s Central Area

• Increased cooperation with the School of Informatics

• Four new courses in the MSc programmes and four new Personal Tutors

• A scholarship and industrial dissertation project with the Registers of Scotland to celebrate its 400th anniversary

Welcoming the Class of 2019

The first cohort of EPCC students to call the Bayes Centre ‘home’ is our Class of 2019: 36 students of 16 nationalities with backgrounds as diverse as biology, electrical engineering, economics, computer science, and physics.

Induction Week proved to be a new experience for students, as they familiarised themselves with the

programmes and their new city, and also staff, who were acclimatising to teaching in the new location of the University’s Central Area. EPCC has always welcomed students into the heart of the centre’s community and the design of our space in the Bayes Centre emphasises this, with our MSc and PhD students having study space in the building and sharing facilities with staff.

Curriculum changes

As well as enjoying new facilities, the Class of 2019 will be our first cohort to take the programmes’ newly streamlined Degree Programme Table and four new optional courses (see EPCC News 83 for details).

Staffing Update

The increased size of the MSc programmes necessitated a larger student support team and we are delighted to welcome Arno Proeme, Darren White, Weronika Filinger (an MSc in HPC alumna), and Jane Kennedy (a second-generation member of EPCC staff) as Personal Tutors.

Farewell to the class of 2018

The class of 2018 graduated in November, with 20 students completing the programme. We wish them well in their next endeavours, which range from PhDs within the University to careers with multinational companies. One of the class of 2018 has already become a Teaching Assistant on the programme, while two members of TeamEPCC at this year’s ISC Student Cluster Competition have returned to talk to the current class about their exploits and encourage those who might follow in their footsteps at ISC 2019.

Read about our MSc programmes, including our industry-based projects, on the EPCC website: www.epcc.ed.ac.uk/msc

Ben Morse, EPCC b.morse@epcc.ed.ac.uk

Photo shows students of the Class of 2019 during Induction Week. Image: Mario Antonioletti.