improvscience Returns to Supercomputing with Workshop and Panels

November 8, 2016
Dr. Raquell Holmes leads in improvisation and inclusion at high performance computing conference

BOSTON, MA, UNITED STATES - Nov 8, 2016 - This year's SC16 conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, includes the perennial presence of improvscience, a company that develops scientists' ability to perform and improvise their way to creating new environments in which to work and play. Scientists learn to creatively and confidently engage the people and research challenges before them, as well as how to collaborate and communicate in inclusive communities, a critical aspect of doing science together. SC16, the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis, runs from November 13 to November 18.

Dr. Raquell Holmes founded improvscience in 2010 to foster community in scientific culture through improvisation. She has worked to transform scientists' lives with performance since 1993. Dr. Holmes first led supercomputing professionals in improvisational exercises through the Broader Engagement session at SC in 2008. Ever since, she has continued to bring her approach to the supercomputing community in a number of capacities, including the Broader Engagement and Student tracks. SC14 saw the introduction of the improvscience challenge, conceived of by Dr. Ritu Arora. This hackathon-style event brought improvisation to building teams to solve scientific computing problems. SC15 included Dr. Holmes chairing a Students@SC Diversity Panel and leading the Peer Networking event that fostered community
and built relationships among participants through playful “speed meeting” exercises.
“While it's one thing to have extremely intelligent and skilled individuals follow rules to work together, it's another to have them move as a well-oiled machine, a jazz ensemble or skilled and agile soccer team,” Dr. Holmes says. “improvscience brings the experience and expertise of the theater arts, performance and improvisation to help scientists and engineers develop their collaborative creative genius.”


This year, Dr. Holmes and members of the improvscience team say they are excited to participate in the Student Programs in several different ways. A workshop, “Building Professional Networks,” is a peer networking event for SC16 students to develop a practice of creating conversations with other professionals. Dr. Holmes will chair the talk “Diversity and Inclusion: Views from the Field” with speakers Ritu Arora (Texas Advanced Computing Center) and George K. Thiruvathukal (Loyola University Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory). "Coming Out on Behalf of Diversity" is a panel Dr. Holmes will chair, with Jeanine Cook ( SC16 Chair of Student Programming), Jamika Burge (Founder and Principal of Design & Technology Concepts), and Rebecca Hartman-Baker (National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center at Berkeley Lab). With others of the improvscience team, Dr. Holmes performs the Living Improv Experiment (LIvE) at Students@SC's "Dinner with Interesting People." LIvE performers include Nicholas Gross, Stuart Licht, and Marilyn Rich. [More information on the LIvE performers is available at http://preview.tinyurl.com/improvscienceSC16presskit ]

The Building Professional Networks workshop is Saturday, November 12, from 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm. The talk and panel “Diversity and Inclusion: Views from the Field” and “Coming Out on Behalf of Diversity” are both on Sunday, November 13, at 8:30 am -10:30 am and 10:30 am - 12:30 am respectively. The Dinner with Interesting People including the LIvE performance is Wednesday, November 16. Dr. Raquell Holmes says “Creating inclusive environments isn't for the faint of heart. It's great that SC16 and the Student programs are committed to hard work and play. The two go together when you're creating transformation. We play with purpose. Too often our narrow focus on endpoints get in the way of talking with one another. And if we can't talk with one another, we'll never reach our desired outcomes. SC has a great culture of play. It's part of our innovative spirit. And I'm fortunate to be able to bring that play to support challenging and important conversations.”

Dr. Holmes is available for media requests, interviews, workshops, and other speaking engagements. Please contact Dr. Holmes at info@improvscience.org.