Exploring the Role of HPC in Education for Sustainable Development
Autor: Alexander Kolling
From June 12 to 16, 2025, the international conference “Critical Learning for Sustainable Development: Communities’ and Universities’ Discourses” took place in Wrocław, Poland. The event brought together researchers from various disciplines and countries to explore the role of adult education in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The hpc.bw project participated in the conference with a scientific poster and a short presentation.
You can find the poster here: DOI10.24405/20175
The focus was on the intersection between HPC resources, the potential of adult education, and their relevance to the SDGs. Today, High Performance Computing (HPC) already plays a crucial role in foundational research for fields such as climate modeling, materials science, and sustainable resource management. However, in the humanities and social sciences, HPC remains largely unknown and underutilized – leaving a significant research potential untapped. Especially in adult education, such technological resources are rarely used. Contributing factors include a lack of competencies, limited access to infrastructure, and low awareness of the potential of HPC resources.
The goal of hpc.bw and the High Performance Computing Competences Platform (HPCCP) is to address these gaps. On the one hand, it is essential to raise awareness of how HPC can be used in the humanities and related fields. On the other hand, tailored educational offerings must be made accessible to enable researchers from non-technical disciplines to make meaningful use of HPC – especially in addressing the complex challenges related to the SDGs.The conference provided an excellent platform to bring this perspective into the discussion and engage in dialogue with international stakeholders from education and sustainability research.