@chakravala I am in agreement with the splitting of the thread, as much of that discussion is off topic from the primary topic of this post, which is simply an announcement about LANL’s QCSS 2020 program. Based on that discussion I will add the following point.
Knowing how to code in Julia and contributing to this community, either via package development or other forms of engagement, is seen as a strong positive trait in the review of QCSS applications. That said, the program in competitive (around 5% acceptance rate last year), we cannot accept many qualified applicants simply due to to a lack of space.