CSC Summer School brings together high-performance computing, collaboration, and Finnish nature

According to participant feedback, CSC Summer School in High-Performance Computing usually offers an unique learning experience, and this year was no different. For ten days, participants explored high-performance computing through lectures and daily exercises, without forgetting different outdoor activities.  

To Azin Alesafarin, the summer school brings together people from different educational backgrounds: “I’ve met people from very different backgrounds, like physics, computer science, engineering, finance, and we all shared this need of learning this tool.”

Building skills step-by-step

One of the aspects the summer school was thanked for was its structured and supportive learning approach. The program was designed to guide participants from foundational concepts to intermediate and semi-advanced HPC skills, making it accessible even to those with limited prior experience.

According to Azin Alesafarin, the course allowed for gradual skill development and gaining confidence as more complex topics were introduced: “The most interesting thing about the program is that it started with very basic concepts in different subjects. So even if you don’t have a solid background in the subject, you could gradually catch up with the course,” Alesafarin says.

Several experts from CSC’s different expertise areas participated in both the teaching and organizing of the Summer School. For trainer Juhana Lankinen the course was a rewarding experience: “The most rewarding aspect of the Summer School is seeing the light of understanding in the students’ eyes.”

According to the feedback survey, the Summer School was well received by the participants. The overall grade the program got was 9.1 out of 10. Also 90 % of the participants answered they will use the tools or resources covered in this training again in their work or research.

One participant shared: “[The program was] directly applicable to my needs and extended the competences in the area that I want to develop in the near future. It was a great experience, and it is visible by the overall quality of the event how much effort was put into it.”

Time for nature and relaxation

The schedule also allowed time to enjoy the peaceful surroundings of Nuuksio National Park. Nestled in the heart of Finnish nature, the location offered a perfect balance between learning and unwinding. Participants had the chance to explore the outdoors through activities like swimming, canoeing, rowing or walking in the woods. These moments provided a refreshing break.

Maxim Yudayev also appreciated traditional Finnish sauna culture: “The best experience was whipping each other in the sauna with birch branches.” 

Photos: Mikael Kanerva

This story was originally posted on CSC’s main website