Rachel McDowell

Marketing & Communications Coordinator at Leidos

Knoxville, TN

Rachel McDowell

Marketing & Communications Coordinator at Leidos

Knoxville, TN

University of Delaware Team Tightens up Code for Exascale Computing on Frontier
Team led by UD’s Sunita Chandrasekaran prepares PIConGPU code for plasma particle accelerator simulations. This article was originally written by Tracey Bryant, Senior Director for Research Communications at the University of Delaware. University of Delaware professor Sunita Chandrasekaran is leading an international team designing an application for the Frontier exascale supercomputer, now being built at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Technology Stories
Jupyter Has Landed at the OLCF
To analyze and process scientific data, researchers often employ Jupyter notebooks, interactive web documents that host snippets of code written in statistical programming languages such as Python (or R or Julia). Domain scientists, mathematicians, data scientists, and educators use the Jupyter tool suite to analyze and visualize data, iteratively prototype codes, document and share procedures, and even display presentations.
Technology Stories
OLCF Reaches New Heights with Andes Cluster
Staffers replace Rhea with a new data analysis and visualization system featuring AMD’s new EPYC CPUs. Staff members at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) have replaced the center’s Rhea data analysis cluster with a brand-new AMD-based system dubbed Andes. For 6 faithful years, Rhea afforded OLCF users the opportunity to perform data analysis and visualizations of simulations performed on the OLCF’s former Cray XK7 Titan supercomputer.
Technology Stories
Simulations Reveal Nature’s Design for Error Correction During DNA Replication
A team led by scientists at Georgia State University simulates the precise transition between the processes of DNA synthesis and proofreading. DNA replication is one of the most important processes in biology, responsible for ensuring that a cell’s genetic material is copied over to new cells efficiently during cell division.
Science Stories
Distinct ACM Gordon Bell Prizes Awarded to Two Teams Using the Summit Supercomputer
Separate teams running on Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Summit are taking home the two Gordon Bell Prize awards this year. The team refers to DeePMD-kit as a “HPC+AI+Physical model” in that it combines high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence (AI), and physical principles to achieve both speed and accuracy for molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.
Press Releases
Two Finalists Nominated for Gordon Bell Special Prize for COVID-19 Work on Summit
Modeling SARS-CoV-2 structures on the nation’s fastest supercomputer ushers in a new era of molecular discovery. Every year at the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis (SC), one deserving team is awarded the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Gordon Bell Prize to recognize an outstanding achievement in high-performance computing (HPC).
Science Stories
Gordon Bell Special Prize Finalist Team Reveals AI Workflow for Molecular Systems in the Era of COVID-19
Research by team at Argonne National Laboratory and the University of California San Diego leads to a novel understanding of SARS-CoV-2 and a new method for studying disease. Some of the methods used to study the virus include imaging techniques such as X-ray imaging and cryogenic electron microscopy—which uses beams of electrons to image frozen samples—but these fall short of capturing the dynamic movements of the viral proteins.
Science Stories
Multi-Institutional Team Earns Gordon Bell Special Prize Finalist Nomination for Rapid COVID-19 Molecular Docking Simulations
Team gains a 52-fold speedup on the nation’s fastest supercomputer to accelerate COVID-19 research. One of the biggest challenges of drug discovery lies in the fact that scientists must search through an almost infinite space of chemical compounds to find one that might be capable of interfering with the infectious disease process.
Science Stories
OLCF to Trial Long-Awaited Fujitsu Processors in Arm-Based Test Bed System
The center’s Wombat system now features the same processors used in the world-leading Fugaku system. The Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) has upgraded its Arm-based test system, Wombat, equipping it with the HPE Apollo 80 system that uses the same processor architecture found in the world’s fastest supercomputer, Fugaku, located at the RIKEN Center for Computational Science.
Technology Stories
OLCF Launches New User Portal, myOLCF
New site features additional functionality, more administrative control. In the past, users of the supercomputing resources at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) have accessed information about their computing projects through a static portal that provides metrics and statistics upon login.
Technology Stories
Record-Breaking Supercomputing Simulations Aid COVID-19 Research
Before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020, researchers at ORNL were already using the nation’s most powerful supercomputer, the lab’s Summit system, to study the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Magazine Articles
Summit Uncovers Details of Molecular Ferris Wheels Inside Cell Structures
With rotors that spin 100 times per second, these pumps rapidly move protons—positively charged subatomic particles—into a cell’s organelles to maintain the acidic environment inside that is crucial to the work they perform. The results were published in Science Advances. An animation shows a proton pump called V-ATPase at work.
Science Stories
Runs on Summit Provided Data for Cray’s New Networking Benchmark
Benchmark released by Hewlett Packard Enterprise was tested on multiple DOE systems, including the OLCF’s Summit, and is a better measure of network congestion. Companies that design the networks that allow compute systems to share information often rely on certain benchmarks to test how well their networks perform.
Technology Stories
Powering Frontier
ORNL successfully installs 2.5-mile power line for the OLCF’s Frontier supercomputer. The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is poised to deliver Frontier, its first exascale supercomputer, next year. Exascale systems are capable of operating at 1 quintillion calculations per second, requiring a significant amount of power and generating substantial amounts of heat.
Technology Stories
NASA Team Releases Mars Landing Simulation Data to Encourage New Research into Spacecraft Descent Technologies
Simulations performed on Summit, the nation’s fastest supercomputer, are now publicly available to the scientific community. Scientists at NASA aim to one day land giant payloads on Mars, but safely descending passengers, flight crew, and other equipment in an atmosphere much thinner than Earth’s poses a significant challenge.
Science Stories
Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility Fosters GCC Compiler Development with Mentor Contract
Mentor, a Siemens business, to develop GCC compiler for increased opportunities in high-performance computing. The computational scientists who run codes on the massively powerful supercomputers at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) are working on solving some of the world’s most challenging problems.
Industry Stories

About

Rachel McDowell

While studying psychology and technical communication at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, I developed a passion for unraveling the intricacies of the human brain and its mechanisms. This curiosity in neuroscience and neuropharmacology steered me towards a role as a Certified Pharmacy Technician, where I fostered a deep appreciation for science and healthcare. My enthusiasm for learning and science, combined with my aptitude for written communication, initially drove me toward science writing.

Previously, as a science communicator, I crafted engaging and compelling narratives that showcased the cutting-edge scientific advancements, resources, tools, and expertise at the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF). In 2018, I spearheaded communication strategies for the launch of the nation's most powerful supercomputer for open science and created versatile content for the imminent launch of the world's first exascale supercomputer, Frontier.

After dedicating six years to supercomputing, I returned to my healthcare roots, taking on roles in copywriting and later medical writing, authoring press releases, blog posts, case studies, reports, manuscripts, posters, objection handlers, global value dossiers, and other copy.

Deciding to refocus on my passion for science & technology, I accepted a position at Leidos as a Marketing & Communications Coordinator, where I lead strategic communications and marketing strategies for the National Energy Technology Laboratory’s critical minerals and materials initiatives, crafting impactful content, coordinating outreach efforts, and supporting research-driven projects.

Among the various hobbies I enjoy, you can frequently find me dancing (salsa, bachata, and other styles), engaging in creative pursuits, hiking my favorite East Tennessee trails (Clingmans Dome and Abrams Falls), or stretching out on my yoga mat.