Undergrad Architecture Mentoring (uArch) Workshop
Orlando, FL, USA, Full-Day Workshop
June 18, 2023 in conjunction with ISCA 2023
Mission
The Undergraduate Architecture Mentoring (uArch) Workshop is designed to introduce undergraduate and early Master's students to research and career opportunities in the field of computer architecture in particular and graduate school lifestyle and survival skills in general. The program will include technical sessions that cover past, current and future research directions in computer architecture, mentoring sessions that cover how to apply to graduate school and how to navigate the architecture research landscape effectively, and networking sessions that create opportunities for students to interact with their peers and established architects in academia and industry.
Mechanics
The central theme of this workshop is to attract students who are interested in graduate school in computer architecture. To this end, uArch will likely include:
The Route to Graduate School: Students will learn how to apply to graduate school, how to find their research interests, how to talk with a potential advisor, etc.
Life at Graduate School: The workshop will include keynote talks from academic and industry leaders about how to thrive at graduate school.
Computer Architecture Research Landscape: The workshop will include technical sessions covering history, current state-of-the-art research and challenging problems that are left unsolved.
Meet an "Architect in Process": As part of the workshop, attendees will be paired with students who are pursuing a Ph.D. degree in computer architecture to hear their first-hand experience about research and life at graduate school and build a mentor-mentee relationship.
Ask an Architect: The workshop will include a panel of established architects in the industry and academia from whom students can seek career advice.
Mentors
Many faculty mentors will be participating! Last year, selected applicants met with professors from:
Brown University, Carnegie Mellon University, College of William and Mary, Cornell University, Duke University, EPFL, Google Brain, IISc Bangalore, KAIST, KMUTNB, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, National University of Singapore, Northeastern University, Ohio State University, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Rochester, Seoul National University, Simon Fraser University, U. Minnesota, UCSC, Univ. of California - Merced, Univ. of California - Riverside, Univ. of California - San Diego, Univ. of California - Santa Barbara, Univ. of California - Santa Cruz, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of British Columbia, University of Edinburgh, University of Murcia, University of Rochester, University of Southern California, University of Toronto, University of Utah, University of Virginia, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Uppsala University, Virginia Tech, Yale University
Applications
This workshop targets undergrads, who typically do not have advisors or departmental support to attend conferences. Early Master's students are also eligible to apply, as well as recent graduates who are currently in industry but are planning to apply to graduate school.
To encourage expanded reach and greater participation by students regardless of financial means, we are enabling professors and universities to cover part of the travel and expenditure through matching travel grants. If no such partial funding is available, students are still eligible to apply for the full grant (limit of $1800), albeit it will be more selective.
Eligibility: uArch welcomes undergrads who may be interested in graduate studies in Computer Architecture, but who do not have an extensive network or guidance to make an informed decision on the topic. Early Master's students are also eligible to apply, as well as recent graduates who are currently in industry but are considering applying to graduate school
Matching Travel Grant: uArch provides a matching grant that covers conference hotel and registration fees for the student with the aim that a professor or the school covers the remaining costs. For local attendees who do not require air travel, we expect this grant to cover most of the costs. The process is detailed here.
Selection Criteria: Applicants will be reviewed by a panel, with factors influencing the decision including:
Year in school: Sophomores and Juniors have higher priority, but all applicants, including ones who are considering re-entering graduate school from industry, are encouraged to apply.
Statement of interest: Applicants who can benefit from guidance about graduate school, networking contacts, and information about Computer Architecture are prioritized.
Diversity and inclusion: Membership in underrepresented groups in computer architecture (e.g., gender, race, ability, first in family to attend college, interdisciplinary educational background, LGBTQ status).
Requirements for Grant Recipients: All grant recipients must attend the uArch workshop and ISCA in person.
We will fund as many students as possible. Note that funding may not be available for students from U.S.-sanctioned countries, but all students are welcome to attend.
Application Form (for Students): To apply to participate in the workshop, fill out the form here.
Matching Travel Grant Form (for Professors/Institutions): To sponsor a student with a matching travel grant, fill out the form here.
Note for women undergraduate and graduate students for additional funding: ACM-W provides support for women undergraduate and graduate students in Computer Science and related programs to attend research conferences. The application deadline is April 15 for conferences taking place in June—July 2023. For more information and to apply visit here.
Important Dates
Application Deadline:
March 24, 2023
Notification to Accepted Applicants:
April 7, 2023
ISCA Conference:
June 17-21, 2023
uArch Main Workshop:
June 18, 2023
Organizing Committee
Martha Barker, Columbia University/AMD
Deeksha Dangwal, Meta
Aamer Jaleel, Nvidia Research
Divya Mahajan, Microsoft
Abdulrahman Mahmoud, Harvard University
Srilatha (Bobbie) Manne, Facebook
Tony Nowatzki, University of California, Los Angeles
Lillian Pentecost, Amherst College
Joshua San Miguel, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Irene Wang, University of British Columbia
Common Questions
Who can apply? Because the workshop is partly focused on informing students about graduate studies in computer architecture and in applying to grad school, we expect that the students who will benefit most from it will be in their second to last year of undergraduate studies. However, the workshop is open to all interested attendees.
Can I attend without funding? The workshop is open to everyone. If you have an alternate funding source, we encourage you to directly register for the workshop when the conference registration opens. However, only selected applicants will be scheduled for "office hours" meetings with professors.
Advice for attending the first conference? Our answers to some frequently asked questions.
How can we sponsor uArch? Please contact us at uarchworkshop@gmail.com.
Sponsors
