Meet the Advanced Computing Facility's student interns

We are proud of our long-standing partnership with Napier University, through which we have offered systems administration placements and graduate apprenticeships for a number of years. We are also looking forward to additional opportunities aligned to our MSc programme that will become available later this year.

In addition, this summer EPCC is participating for the first time in the University of Edinburgh's Employ.ed summer internship programme for second, third and penultimate-year undergraduates. We have been delighted to welcome three students from the University's School of Engineering, and to offer them the opportunity to engage with the large-scale, complex mechanical and electrical systems at our Advanced Computing Facility. We hope this will be just the start of another ongoing collaboration.

Here the Employ.ed summer interns introduce themselves.

^{Above: Vaidehi Laata, James Walter, and Alistair Murison.}

Vaidehi Laata

My internship at the Advanced Computing Facility (ACF) has been an enriching journey, offering invaluable insights into the field of electrical engineering. So far I have been engaged in creating quick reference documents for the plant rooms, serving as essential look-up resources for all the main switchboards and equipment. These plant rooms are critical, distributing power to the computer rooms.

I have also contributed to updating the inventory for all the medium voltage (MV) and low voltage (LV) equipment within these plant rooms. Currently, I am working on drawing circuit schematics that accurately reflect the current configuration and functioning of these rooms. This task has been particularly rewarding in that it has taught me skills in AutoCAD Electrical and has helped me visualise step-by-step the distribution system in place in each plant room.

 The privilege of accessing the plant rooms has been one of the most significant aspects of my internship. I have gained a fundamental understanding of how the incoming 11 kV from Scottish Power is systematically stepped down and distributed through both redundant and non-redundant avenues. This hands-on experience has been invaluable, providing me with a treasure trove of information that has significantly enhanced my knowledge and skills as an electrical engineering student.

I am incredibly grateful for the supportive and kind managers and colleagues at the ACF, who have gone above and beyond to ensure I have had all the resources and guidance I need from day one. Their support has made this internship an excellent learning experience, and I eagerly look forward to the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Overall my time at ACF has been transformative, offering me a practical understanding of complex electrical systems and reinforcing my passion for the field. I am excited to continue this journey and see where it leads.

Alistair Murison

I started as an ACF Mechanical Engineering intern at the Advanced Computing Facility in June 2024, for the summer break between my third and fourth years at the University of Edinburgh where I am currently studying mechanical engineering.

In my month at EPCC so far, I have developed an understanding of the mechanical cooling systems behind the high performance computing (HPC) systems, and grown an appreciation for the engineering design behind them. Through interaction with staff on site and with the Estates Department, I have learned about how the site operates and manages energy usage. As part of my internship I will be updating and creating documentation on site operations, such as quick reference guides for plant rooms. These guides will assist staff in finding all relevant information on plant rooms effectively, and provide an overview of how the HPC cooling systems function.

I will be involved in work that will enable the site to operate more efficiently in future, such as reducing energy usage through better metering and analysis of plant machinery usage for varying outside temperatures. I have enjoyed my experience thus far, and I look forward to learning more and further developing my skills.

James Walter

I am currently working as a mechanical engineering summer intern at EPCC’s Advanced Computing Facility (ACF),  also studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Edinburgh.

The chance to work with the impressive mechanical infrastructure that is required to support the ACF’s high powered computing systems is very exciting. Learning more about the scale and complexity of these systems is a great opportunity. Even more, discovering the applications of HPC in research, engineering and elsewhere, has motivated me to be part of, and learn from, a great team that ensures this is possible every day.

I have also learned a lot about how the environment can be used to support large cooling loads, using outside temperatures for water and air cooling, saving energy, money and increasing site efficiency.

Working in this role has really increased my interest in large-scale cooling and ventilation systems, which play a huge role in commercial, residential, and industrial engineering. I think data centres and HPC is a really exciting industry that is only going to grow in the future and a chance to be a part of this is great!