New Scholarship Aims to Address Inequities in Higher Education

The Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) has established the Susan Fratkin Scholarship, designed in honor of an ambassador for high performance computing (HPC) workforce development and a distinguished leader in state and federal relations. For 25 years, Sue Fratkin served as Washington liaison for the Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation (CASC).

The scholarship aims to address educational inequities and support undergraduate student persistence in higher education, with the first recipients to be awarded in 2023. Specifically, scholarships will be awarded to Code@TACC alumni, the majority of whom are women and/or from underrepresented populations (African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Native, Indigenous Peoples) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

Code@TACC is the center's signature summer residential program for high school students — its three summer camps are Code@TACC Robotics, Code@TACC Cybersecurity, and Code@TACC Connected.

"I've never sought the spotlight, so for TACC to name a scholarship after me is quite an honor," Fratkin said. "My hope is that students will benefit from this extra financial support as they pursue higher education."

Fratkin served as the founding executive director of CASC from 1989 to 2015. During her tenure, she represented CASC at high-level meetings, hearings, and events, ensuring that CASC was a visible entity in Washington's HPC community. Her leadership helped to position CASC as a trusted source of information and feedback for major federal agencies like the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and Department of Energy.

"I've never sought the spotlight, so for TACC to name a scholarship after me is quite an honor. My hope is that students will benefit from this extra financial support as they pursue higher education."

"I've known Susan for 22 years and honoring her with this scholarship couldn't be more fitting," said current CASC executive director Kathryn Kelley, who has served in the role since July 2022. "I've personally benefited from Sue's mentorship and fully support building on her legacy by supporting women and underrepresented minorities in computer science with this scholarship."

CASC serves as a Sustaining Partner of the scholarship fund. Having already donated $10,000, CASC has committed to an annual donation of $2,000 per year for the next five years. Founded in 1989, CASC is an educational nonprofit organization with nearly 100 member institutions representing many of the nation's most forward-thinking universities and computing centers.

"We're thrilled to launch this scholarship and grateful for the generosity of organizations like CASC and individuals who are committed to addressing educational inequities and ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion in HPC," said Rosalia Gomez, director of Education & Outreach at TACC. "Seeing TACC provide scholarships that encourage students to persist in college and beyond is a dream come true."

Fratkin studied political science at Brooklyn College, then moved to D.C. and took political science graduate courses at George Washington University. She has two children, including Melyssa Fratkin, who serves as TACC's industrial programs director. Previously, Melyssa worked as a consultant to CASC.

"This scholarship is the perfect way to honor my mom's work in supercomputing and higher education," Melyssa said. "She's always been a proponent of diversity and inclusion, and it's wonderful to see her get broader recognition."

Visit the Susan Fratkin Scholarship webpage and support scholarships for Code@TACC alumni.