June 4, 2019
Could you shortly introduce yourself?
My name is Marco Gabaglio, and I come from Locarno. I completed a bachelor’s degree in Biology and afterwards a master’s in Bioinformatics. I love to program and solve life science problems using computational tools.
What fascinates you in the world of supercomputing?
I would say the idea of giving scientists the possibility to use supercomputing power in an easy way.
How did you first hear about CSCS?
I found out about it when looking for a job/internship after finishing my master’s.
When and for which intern position did you apply to CSCS?
I applied as soon as I finished my master’s thesis in Geneva, to two positions. The first one involved machine learning, and the second one was about the integration of persistent identifiers for data in scientific workflows. I got accepted into the second one.
Why did you want to intern at CSCS?
I wanted to gather practical experience, and CSCS was a good choice.
What project did you work on during your internship at CSCS?
I integrated the creation of persistent identifiers for data (a similar concept to the DOI used for research papers) in scientific workflow engines. I wrote some python script to simulate a possible future service for CSCS end users.
How would you describe a regular day as an intern at CSCS?
My regular day at CSCS was pretty straightforward. Commuting from Locarno to Lugano, then from the Resega parking to the office in Via Zurigo, was a long trip, but it was worth the day-to-day experience. I always knew what to do thanks to my mentor Mario Valle, who was always ready to guide me in the right direction. I wish the internship was longer than the two months in order to be able to participate in a bigger project involving more people instead of working alone in an experimental project.
How did you like working in Lugano?
I really enjoyed the office. The colleagues were always ready to have a pleasant chat, and even with these random talks I always learned something new. Thank you, guys from Via Zurigo. :)
What will you take home from this experience?
I will take home a short but positive experience. As a junior bioinformatician, I feel it was a great opportunity to see how a supercomputing center works and how the people behind it organise themselves and create new projects to improve the end users’ experience.