This edition of the Matadors are totally new to HPC (and even Linux), but have picked up the basics under the tutelage of team coach (and former competitor) Michael Beebe. Despite that, the team is doing decently in the early going with an overall seventh place finish after LINPACK and HPCG.
It was a fun interview. I did my best to stir the pot between the Matadors and their cross campus rival Red Raiders. We also went ahead and forced a freshman to make big life decisions during the call, also fun. Another student discussed their upcoming accelerated master’s program and I think I convinced him to accelerate it even more. Most of them are considering advanced education. When I suggested that maybe taking a break and working in the real world might be helpful, there was a long, long silence on their side. This prompted me to say “boy, you guys really don’t want to go to work, do you?” Much fun in this one.