Academic Community Awards for Parallelism FAQ

 
Frequently Asked Questions

How do I apply?
Apply online! The contest entry form is available here.  Entry is quick and easy.  Sucessful proposals will include an abstract between one and four paragraphs long that clearly list:

• The problem your submission addresses.
• How parallelism is used.
• At what level and/or in what course the material should be taught (e.g. 1st year CS Data Structures class).
• The tools, languages, platforms, O/S, and APIs you use (if any).
• What makes your submission unique; creativity and innovation count!
• How you (or your sponsor) will implement the content should your entry receive an award.

Additional information on creating a winning entry can be found in this Forum post.

Why is Intel sponsoring these awards?
Intel continues to encourage academics to share their classroom materials to promote the integration of the concepts of parallelism and concurrency into classrooms worldwide. Providing these “Microgrants” can ease the financial burden that may be associated with the creation of modern, high quality teaching courseware. This material often includes software tools, games, labs, demonstrations and other examples that speed the adoption of parallel programming concepts into computer science, computational sciences, and other science and math courses at every level.

Who is eligible?
This award is open to all Intel® Software Network Academic Community members.  We also welcome student contributions, though students must have a faculty sponsor to meet eligibility requirements.  If you are under 18, you must also have parent or guardian's permission to participate.

Can I apply in a language other than English?
The actual application for a Microgrant must be submitted in English, however we encourage the creation of course materials in your native language, so you and others with the same language can use them in your own classrooms. Once you have been selected for a grant the other materials you submit for posting to the Educational Exchange can be in your preferred language. 
 
What resources can I get from Intel?
Developing your award winning idea(s) is up to you. Intel can provide Academic Community members with classroom licenses for Intel® Software Developement Products as well as access to the Intel® Manycore Testing Lab. While use of such resources is not mandatory, it is highly encouraged. In addition, our curriculum development team is committed to your success and a "sponsor" engineer will typically be assigned to work with each grant recipient. 

Why have you changed from an Open content call to specific themes?
We are trying to help fill the gaps in the existing computer science curriculum by targeting those areas where parallelism can be included most easily and effectively.  The areas we are targeting in upcoming grants include Data Structures, Algorithms and Design Patterns.  We may also include an Open Topic call again in the future.

Is this award only for Computer Science instructors?
No. We welcome material applicable to a wide array of disciplines. Besides other computational sciences, applications from high-school teachers are also encouraged.

Can you give me some examples of what you are looking for?
Yes, Please see examples below.
Please also see our Forum for ideas.

May I submit previously published or taught material?
Yes, within limits. We welcome entries that show how previously published serial problems may be converted to parallel solutions. All entries must have some original content and source code. For works that contain previously published content, you must supply attribution, and clearly call out your changes.

Are there restrictions to what content is eligible for a Microgrant?
Please be sure to read each grant description, the examples, and links carefully to make sure your material is appropriate for that specific request. We will be rotating grant periods so if your materials are not a good fit, be sure to check back regularly for new topics, themes, or open award periods.

What are the awards?
Microgrants are cash awards of up to USD $5000. The exact amounts will be determined by the panel of judges based on quality, breadth, and scalability of the proposal, as well as total number of grants to be awarded in any given period. If selected, you will receive a “Category A” gift letter which clearly explains that Intel is gifting this money to your University in support of your work. No overhead costs are included in the gift and your institution will be responsible for any applicable taxes.

What are the conditions?

• Applicants must be members of the Intel Academic Community, or have a sponsor who is a registered member.  
  • If you are not already a member, you can join here.
• Microgrants are awarded to winners at time of judging.  Work need not be completed to receive a prize, although we fully expect to you to finish work on winning entries within an agreed upon timeframe.
• All entries and subsequent material will be made available to the Academic Community in the Educational Exchange under the terms of the Creative Commons license. The Educational Exchange is constantly growing repository of course material available to instructors around the world. The materials available are there to support the teaching computing and can be freely uploaded, downloaded, reviewed, and modified for classroom use.
• Intel reserves the right to use the entries in any fashion including the right to publicize entries, winners and their sponsors in promotional material.
• Decisions of the judges are final.

Find complete rules, terms and conditions here.

Example content ideas: 
We welcome all entries and encourage you to use your knowledge and creativity. Please remember that Microgrants have a theme; successful entries should follow that theme. Below are some examples of great content ideas.

Algorithms
• Describe the standard merge sort algorithm and discuss how it can be parallelized. Provide a classroom exercise.
• From an existing textbook, create a set of parallel examples, labs and/or homework problems.
• Demonstrate how you would use the Intel Manycore Testing Lab to explore scaling of parallel algorithms.

Data Structures
• Provide a queue data structure and review the problems that are inherent in using a shared queue data structure in a parallel setting. Provide a classroom exercise or homework assignment.
• Compare and contrast implementations (lock all, lock single element, lock-free, from library) of a vector data structure; demonstrate performance differences within an application.

Design Patterns
• Demonstrate how to utilize parallelism with a structured grid pattern to program Conway’s Game of Life.
• Provide code examples and lecture material for teaching how to apply patterns to the task of converting a game from serial to parallel.

General Topics
• Show how you would use a parallel library as a substitute for a serial library within a current assignment. Contribute a lecture that explains difference in implementation and ramifications for scaling across differing data sets and platforms.
• Construct a game to illustrate parallel concepts. Describe how you would use it in your class.

For more complete information about compiler optimizations, see our Optimization Notice.