Student Research Software Engineers: Insights from Macro and Micro Perspectives

Student opportunities are important for diversifying RSE and getting students hooked on research software engineering. Engaging with undergraduate and graduate students interested in scientific computing is both rewarding and beneficial to the RSE community, given there is not yet a clear academic curriculum nor career path to becoming a research software engineer. This talk will cover the macro aspects of RSE internships through the lens of SIParCS, a successful, long running internship program, and deep-dive into the micro aspects of working with student RSEs by sharing experiences at DART, an open source project at the intersection of science and software.

We’ll give a lightning overview of the 17 years of SIParCS, the Summer Internships in Parallel Computational Science at the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research, including background, history and motivations. SIParCS provides opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to gain hands-on experience in computational science, particularly focusing on high-performance computing, scientific computing, and data analysis. The program’s goal is to develop and diversify the next generation of computational scientists and engineers by offering holistic mentorship, professional development, and the chance to work on cutting-edge projects alongside experienced researchers.

DART, the Data Assimilation Testbed, has been fortunate to have various interns though SIParCS as well as part-time student RSE employees working year-round. We'll share our specific experiences, challenges and triumphs, working with student RSEs. What worked, what didn’t, and how summer internship RSEs differ from year-round part-time student RSEs. Everyone is different, what motivates and incentivizes people varies from person to person, and can change over time. People’s time has value, we want people spending that time on the most interesting and impactful thing they can be working on. Working with students requires a balance between getting quality work from them, and the students finding benefit in this work and progressing their career. We'll conclude with thoughts on future student interactions and possible community collaborations.